Celebration of life for Tom Ward to be held Oct. 11

[ Editor's note: The information below is presented as it first appeared in The Bellingham Herald. ]

This coming Saturday a Celebration of Life for Tom Ward takes place on October Eleventh at Whatcom Middle School Auditorium (810 Halleck Street, in the Letter Street District of Bellingham, WA).

Open Social Time: 1 to 2:15 pm. Service at 2:15 pm. Potluck Social to follow. Tom died in July of 2012 after breaking his hip. He was honored with a formal viewing ceremony, & a reception at the home of Ann Gossage shortly thereafter. Now we come together on Oct. 11th to celebrate his life. Prior to joining the faculty of the WWU Theatre Department, Tom was a Ford Foundation Fellow at Seattle Repertory Theatre; co-founder of The Theatre of Courage, in New York, for which he received a commendation from the Vice President of the United States. The Governor of Maryland recognized him as the Maryland Artist of the Year for his work as co-founder of the Maryland Center for the Arts and a theatre teacher and director at Millford Mill and Kenwood in Baltimore. Multiple productions Tom directed at WWU were selected to perform at the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival's NW regional conference. Tom earned his MFA from New York University.

A beloved, trajectory changing teacher, Tom leaves a legacy of having fostered lifelong friendships between a staggering number of people. Most of all, Tom was a loyal and loving husband to his wife Diana, a devoted father to his sons Adam and Clayton, and a steady friend. Please email photos & memories of Tom to Adam at tomward.bellingham@gmail.com, or put them in the Memory Book box at the Oct. 11th celebration of Tom.