Thomas E. Leary ’85 PhD

Thomas E. Leary ’85 PhD, of Youngstown, Ohio; Oct. 29. While obtaining his doctorate at Brown, he was curator of Slater Mill in Pawtucket. Upon graduation, he settled in Buffalo, N.Y., and was director of interpretation for the Buffalo and Erie County Historical Society. While there, he coordinated a survey of Buffalo industry, along with the National Park Service’s Historical American Engineering Record, and he and his wife wrote a history of Bethlehem Steel’s Lackawanna plant. They also organized exhibits documenting the area’s industries titled “Made in Buffalo.” In 1988, the couple formed Industrial Research Associates, a consulting firm doing mitigation and other research for government and private agencies, including the Youngstown Museum of Industry and Labor. In 1999, he was hired by Youngstown State University as a history professor. He taught American architectural and industrial history and trained students in the art of public history documentation and museum practices. He retired from teaching in 2021 and continued to work at the museum until his death. He is survived by his wife, Elizabeth Sholes.