Thomas William Ranney ’52

Thomas William Ranney ’52 of South Windsor, Connecticut, passed away on December 5, 2016, at home, after suffering with Parkinson’s disease. Tom was born in Fair Haven, Vermont, on July 11, 1927, and graduated from Fair Haven High School. He then served for some two years in the U.S. Navy, mostly in Japan, before entering Dartmouth and graduating in 1952. At Dartmouth Tom majored in English and was a member of the teaching fraternity, Kappa Phi Kappa. He was the husband of Gloria and they had 31 wonderful years of marriage. He taught English and history, first in Honolulu and then at the Tilton School in Tilton, New Hampshire. He later taught English at Sedgwick Middle School in West Hartford, Connecticut, for more than 25 years. Upon retiring from teaching Tom fulfilled a lifelong dream of becoming a private pilot and flew around New England for 14 years. Tom was also a part-time historic interpreter at the Mark Twain House & Museum in Hartford, Connecticut, for 35 years. To many he was “Mr. Mark Twain.” Besides his wife, Tom leaves his children, Thomas, Kent and Laura and their spouses; his wife’s children, Michael, Timothy and David and their spouses; four grandchildren; and his brother, Philip. His son, Lawrence, and his brother, Richard, predeceased him.