Charles Thomson (Tom) Garey
Charles Thomson (Tom) Garey passed away after a short stay at Cottage Hospital on April 6, 2024. He was surrounded by his loving family.
Tom was born to Thomas and Carroll Garey on November 22, 1947, in Baltimore, Maryland and attended Rogers Forge Elementary School, Dumbarton Junior High School, and Towson High School. He fell in love with the theatre as a teen-ager and became very active with his high school theatre and the Children’s Theatre Company of Baltimore, both as a performer and a technician.
Tom started at the University of Maryland in 1965 as an Engineering major, but soon moved to his true passion and spent the rest of his college career as a Theatre major, focusing on stage and lighting design and all aspects of technical theatre. Tom worked at the U of M Tawes Memorial Theatre as both a student and, following his graduation in 1972, as a Theatre Technician.
It was in the U of M Theatre Department where Tom met his best friend and soon-to-be life partner, Judy Freeman. They were married in June 1971 in Baltimore and began their wonderful life journey together.
During a difficult and politically charged time in the early 1970’s, Tom managed to stay out of combat in the Vietnam War by enlisting with the Army Reserve, serving six years as an Army medic. Tom put the skills he learned during that time to work throughout his life, always planning ahead, prepared, and knowing exactly how to care for the injuries and ailments of friends and family.
In 1973, Tom and Judy moved to Santa Barbara where Tom began work on his Master of Arts Degree in Theatre at UCSB. During this time, he also took a leave of absence from his graduate studies to serve as Technical Director for Diner’s Playhouse in Lexington, Kentucky, returning to UCSB to complete his Master’s Degree in 1976.
Fielding multiple job offers after graduation, Tom decided to stay in Santa Barbara, accepting the job as Technical Director for the Theatre Department at Santa Barbara City College. He spent his first year designing, lighting, and building stage productions in the auditorium of the SBCC Administration Building, moving the Department into the newly constructed Garvin Theatre on the West Campus in 1977. Tom served as the Director of Design and Technology for the SBCC Theatre Department from 1976-2011, making a significant impact on an untold number of students’ lives, designing over 100 productions and teaching classes in stagecraft, stage design, stage lighting, theatre appreciation and theatre history. Tom designed the scenery and lighting for the SBCC production of Biloxi Blues, selected by the American College Theatre Festival to showcase at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. in 1988.
In addition to serving as Theater department Chair and Co-Chair during his tenure at SBCC, Tom was also very active in campus politics. He served on numerous college committees including two years as Academic Senate President, and spent many years as a vital leader of the faculty union. He retired from SBCC in 2011.
During the 1981-1982 school year, Tom took a sabbatical from SBCC and worked toward a Ph.D. in Theatre at the University of Illinois in Champaign/Urbana. During this time, he contributed significantly to the research for the Motley Collection of Theatre and Costume Design, a collection of rare and historical theatre design artifacts from around the world housed in the Rare Book and Special Collections Library at U of I.
Tom was instrumental in the planning and execution of the Garvin Theatre Modernization Project completed in 2012. This project included upgrades to the theatre’s technical production systems, including lighting, sound, and rigging, renovations to the classroom facilities, and improvements in the safety and accessibility features of the venue. Tom was hired on as a consultant after he retired to oversee the completion of the remodel project. He was extremely proud to be a part of this modernization and improvement of the Garvin Theatre, making it a showcase for the college and the Santa Barbara community.
Additionally, Tom was a strong advocate and supporter of PlayFest Santa Barbara, an organization founded to support the development of new plays and playwrights. He encouraged the partnership between PlayFest and the SBCC Theatre Department and continued to support the organization as it moved off campus. Tom served on its Board as Treasurer for 12 years.
Tom’s joie de vivre was evident to everyone who met him. He was a lifelong learner whose interests varied from history and politics to aeronautics and engineering to food and culture. He loved traveling, attending live theatre, hosting family and friends while he cooked up a storm, and spending time with the beloved family dogs – of which there were many. Following retirement, Tom and Judy travelled to Europe and Asia on multiple occasions and enjoyed meeting people from and seeing different parts of the world.
His love for life and his community also shined through in the various non-profits he supported over the years including the ASPCA, the American Red Cross, the American Lung Association, Direct Relief, Unity Shop, Family Service Agency, Planned Parenthood, Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, and the CA YMCA Youth and Government Program, among others.
Tom and Judy were married for almost 53 years and have two children, Kirsten and Scott. Kirsten and her husband Chase live in Santa Barbara; Kirsten is the market vice president for Cox Communications. Scott, who has worked in technical theatre locally and around the world, is currently living in southeast Asia.
Tom is survived by his wife, Judy and children, Kirsten and Scott, son-in-law Chase McLaughlin, sister-in-law Miriam Browning of Alexandria, VA, brother-in-law, Robert Bornt of Thousand Oaks, CA, and numerous nieces and nephews. Tom is pre-deceased by his parents, Tom and Carroll Garey, and two sisters, Jayne Johnson and Barbara Bornt.
Tom’s family will host a celebration of Tom’s life in the upcoming months. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation in Tom’s honor to support the SBCC Theatre Department through the SBCC Foundation, the American Red Cross, or the American Lung Association.