Tom Sawyer, an internationally recognized authority on amoebae, died in Seaford, Delaware on 27 July 2013. Tom was born on 11 May 1929 in Phoenix, Arizona, the son of Francis L. Sawyer and Grace Shaffer. Depression-era economy caused the family to relocate in Washington, D.C. where, at age 17, Tom enlisted in the army and served in the 6th Infantry during the Korean conflict. Following active duty Tom enrolled in American University (AU) and received his B.S. degree in Biology in 1953. While attending AU, Tom met and married Dorothy (Dottie) May Lee, who became his wife of 62 yr.
Tom's first job after graduation was with the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland—cleaning monkey cages. Later assignments involved a rabies research program in Georgia and heartworm studies in Maryland. On alternate nights he worked a second job and attended night school at George Washington University, finally receiving...
