Dr. Thomas B. Sanford, loving husband and father of three children and three grandchildren, passed away in Seattle, WA, on July 12, 2020, at the age of 80, due to heart failure. Tom lived life to the fullest. He was an experienced man of the sea, as a lifelong oceanographer and sailor whose “business trips” were often spent on the high seas for many weeks at a time.
Tom was born in Toledo, Ohio in 1940, to James and Mary (Williams) Sanford. He grew up in Cleveland and Vermilion, Ohio and received a Bachelor's degree in Physics from Oberlin College and a PhD in Oceanography from MIT.
In 1962, he married Marilyn Wilmore, an Oberlin classmate who had a warm heart, similar politics, and was willing to await his return from a cross-country BMW motorcycle trip. They soon moved from Boston to West Falmouth, MA, where Tom built their first home nearly single handedly and they raised their children, James, Cynthia, and Craig, along with making lifelong friends. From 1967 to 1979, Tom was an oceanographer at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI), as well as a visiting scientist in Kiel, Germany at the Institut für Meereskunde.
In 1979, he and the family moved to Seattle, WA to join the faculty at the University of Washington (UW). For more than 40 years, Tom served at UW as a Professor in the School of Oceanography, Principal Oceanographer at the Applied Physics Laboratory, and most recently as a Professor Emeritus. Over the years, he earned many honors including: Fellow, American Geophysical Union; Fellow, American Meteorological Society; Henry Stommel Research Award, American Meteorological Society; Distinguished Technical Achievement Award, IEEE/OES; and Secretary of the Navy/Chief of Naval Operations Chair in Oceans Sciences.
Tom “retired” in 2015, but continued biking to work nearly every day. He submitted his last paper for publication just weeks before his passing and would be proud to know it may be published posthumously.
Tom cared deeply about his contributions to oceanography. As a professor and ocean-going scientist, Tom mentored more than 23 students in their graduate and post-graduate work, furthering our knowledge about the oceans. During a symposium held in his honor for his 2015 retirement, many of these students spoke about his impact on them and how his legacy continues through their work. Tom consistently expected the highest standards for himself and others, but was always kind and encouraging.
As a scientist, Tom was innovative, inspiring, and very much “hands on.” His pioneering theory of how ocean currents interact with the earth’s magnetic field provided a novel way to measure seawater motion. He was especially proud of the instruments that he invented and adapted over the years (called “robo buoys” by his grandson).
Tom’s interest in tinkering with things started at a very young age. As a boy, “Tommy” loved to visit the local dump and pick up broken radios to fix. Marilyn remembers after they married that Tom found a broken television at the dump, fixed it, and made it their first television as a married couple. Throughout his life, Tom would say, “Don’t throw that out! I can probably fix it and use it for something!” When the family’s dishwasher broke and he couldn’t find a replacement part, he purchased an identical used dishwasher, stored it in the garage (much to Marilyn’s dismay), and used the parts to fix the dishwasher over many years.
Tom used these fix-it skills at the Camano Island cottage that he and Marilyn purchased in 1992. Over the years, he enjoyed countless “improvement” projects and made several dear friends while crabbing and doing other projects on the beach. Tom celebrated his family and found many ways to gather with them. His children and grandchildren have fond memories of visits to Camano, boat trips near and far, and 9 years of Christmas trips with the extended family.
Tom is preceded in death by his parents and his brother, James R. Sanford. Tom is survived by his wife of 58 years, Marilyn (Wilmore) Sanford, and their children, James, Cynthia (Christopher), and Craig, and three grandchildren, Elliot, Oliver, and Campbell.
A memorial service will be organized later this year when conditions hopefully permit a gathering to celebrate a life well lived.
To Tom: We wish you fair winds and following seas!