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Thomas Albert Fagan

Thomas Albert Fagan '56

May. 2, 1935-May. 13, 2020

Thomas Albert Fagan ’56 was a family man who met the love of his life when he was 10 years old. Fagan and Anne Murphy married at 22, raised five children, and spent 53 years together until Anne’s death in 2011. 

Fagan, of Bow, N.H., died on May 13, 2020, at the age of 85. He made a successful career in property and casualty insurance. He had an abiding love of his Irish heritage and a deep interest in politics. Fagan lived for more than 50 years in New Hampshire, a good spot for anyone with that passion. “New Hampshire is a good vantage point for presidential wannabes,” he wrote in a reunion yearbook. 

But even with all those decades in New Hampshire, Fagan still considered Central New York his home. He was born on May 2, 1935, in Utica, N.Y., the son of Albert Fagan, a physician, and Lillian Moore Fagan, a registered nurse. After graduating from Herkimer High School, he journeyed up the Hill to study at Hamilton. A psychology major, his College activities included membership in Delta Upsilon fraternity, serving as national advertising manager of student publications, membership in the Philosophy and Religion and Newman clubs, earning the E. Root Fitch Scholarship Prize, and taking part in Nous Onze.

Hamilton, Fagan wrote in a reunion yearbook, taught him to read and to participate. College also helped him develop the ability to speak well to groups, which he did frequently. And Hamilton engendered friendships across a generation.

“Our Hamilton kids are friends of our Hamilton friends’ Hamilton kids! Says something about the relationships established with the ‘College on the hilltop,’” Fagan said in a yearbook. His children, Timothy Fagan ’80 and Julia Fagan Olivares ’83, attended Hamilton, as did his niece, Meredith Affleck ’02.

His career unfolded in Pennsylvania, New York, and New Hampshire, where he worked for 25 years with American International Group in Manchester. He retired in 2001.

For many years, the family lived in the town of Bow, where Fagan acted on his interest in politics. He served the town in a range of roles: membership on the board of selectmen and zoning board and as a library trustee. He was active in many national and local political campaigns and chaired the Bow Democratic Committee for more than 20 years. “Tom cherished his role as a poll worker. He loved connecting with the community on election days,” his family said in a published obituary.

He and his wife were predeceased by an infant daughter. Survivors include five children, nieces, nephews, and other relatives.

Necrology Home

Note: Memorial biographies published prior to 2004 will not appear on this list.



Necrology Writer and Contact:
Christopher Wilkinson '68
Email: Chris.Wilkinson@mail.wvu.edu

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