Tommy DeAngelis 1950 - 2001

Tommy DeAngelis is truly a remarkable. After starting to read his biography, I found myself unable to stop. The passion he had for his work was unparalleled and is supported by how fast he climbed the promotional ladder. He adapted his life to fit the needs of his family and was obsessed with knowledge. As a kid, high school came easy to Tommy and he later enrolled at Queens College to study chemistry. During the 60's (Vietnam) he decided to serve his country in the National Guard. Unfortunately for him, he was involved in a car crash, forcing him to put his military career on hold. He remained in the Guard until 1975 and the U.S. Army Reserve until 1976. After that he aced his firefighters exam but was later laid off. From there he did whatever was necessary to care for his family by driving a bus and working in a supermarket. It was not long however before he joined the FDNY again and met his wife Patty at a local bowling alley. They later adopted young Nicole and he balanced his time between her, Tommy Jr., and Christine (from his previous marriage). Tommy then passed his Lt. exam with great ease and was promoted in July of 1986. In 1996 he was promoted to Battalion Chief. Of the 10,000 uniformed members of the FDNY, there are only 51 Battalion Chiefs. It is a position which is reserved for only the most qualified leaders. Promotion to Battalion Chief is a remarkable accomplishment.

Tommy enjoyed writing and describes his love for the Department:

"I enjoy my job. I’ve worked in supermarkets, drove a bus, and done carpentry, but my career in the New York City Fire Department had been far and away my favorite. I’ve been with the department for twenty-seven years. I’ve been promoted to Battalion Chief, and I still enjoy going to work. I’ve always enjoyed the challenges and satisfaction of fire fighting. I was lucky – people look at me strangely when I say this – to get on the fire department during its busiest years. We would go from fire to fire, and I learned a tremendous amount about fire fighting. I believe this makes me a better boss." (from www.voicesofseptember11.org)

Patty commented on her late husband:

Tommy not only did the right thing in a philosophical sense, but also in a literal sense. He studied and he worked and he became a leader. (from www.voicesofseptember11.org)

 

What surprised me the most about Tommy was that he did whatever was necessary, and excelled at it. From driving a bus to working long hours for the FDNY, he showed determination to support his family and demonstrated pride for himself. One of the more admiral qualities about him was his drive. Everyday was a new day to learn for Tommy and he looked forward to going to work every morning.

He always kept a high standard for himself and received several promotions because of it. He also learned new skill-sets such as carpentry, in order to boost his knowledge of the hobby. Tommy attended a community college, while working, and took a creative writing class to better fine tune his passion for writing. These things that Tommy DeAngelis did is also something that I with to do in my life. Just because he had a busy job, loaded with stress, he never lost sight of himself and what he loved to do. He has inspired me to never lose sight of personal goals and to not get caught up in a life consumed by my work.