Police Athletic League (PAL) Leader
The Philadelphia Phillies’ loss of one baseball player was a victory for thousands of Philadelphia children who benefitted from his kind mentoring while serving as a police officer.
FAMILY BACKGROUND
Thomas “Tommy” Tomson (TT) was the oldest of 10 children born to parents residing in Philadelphia. Neither parent had attended college.
CHILDHOOD
TT’s family was very poor financially – but rich in love / caring for each other. TT started work at age 8 with a local ‘huckster ‘ who sold small items door to door. All his (meager) earnings were brought home to his parents to help put food on the family table and to literally keep the lights on in their home.
While helping his parents with managing their growing flock of children, TT was praised for his efforts, which became a foundation of his adult personality: helping others, especially children.
EDUCATION
While TT attended Northeast Catholic High School, his family’s financial condition meant that he could not play sports for “North” as he went to work after school each day. Any waking hours away from school or part-time jobs would find TT on a baseball field, earning him a tryout with the Phillies. Not being offered a professional baseball contract, TT needed to look for a more stable job.
Editor’s note: A loss for one (baseball team) can result in a win for another (entire community).
POLICE OFFICER
Following high school graduation and an unsuccessful baseball tryout, TT joined the Philadelphia Police Department, initially as an entry-level patrolman. During his first 3 years as a police officer, TT received numerous commendations for his work, including one for saving the lives of three people from a burning building despite suffering smoke inhalation that required his hospitalization.
NEW ROLE IN SAME CAREER – P.A.L. LEADER
Police administrators took early notice of TT’s dedication to serving the public with reasonable authority, unlike a tiny minority of officers who ignore their oath to always act within the law. When a new leader was needed for a Police Athletic Center at St. Peter’s Church on North 5th Street in Philadelphia, TT was selected to represent the entire police community with his natural way of interacting with citizens, especially children.
In his role as a PAL Officer, TT offered free opportunities for youth to play sports in communities that had no previous sports programs. In keeping with his personal beliefs and principles, TT integrated his teams with kids of all races, even when that meant dealing with threats from the neighborhood.
Despite some early community resistance, TT’s persistence and the success of the PAL kids both on the field and in making friendships across the color lines made integrated teams the norm.
TT also offered some of the first youth sports opportunities to girls in the area.
Success on the field was not the only thing TT directed. He stressed education and instilled personal pride in all who played for him. TT gave many of his PAL kids their first taste of the outside world. Twice he took his PAL kids to the Oval Office in Washington, D.C. to meet Presidents (Johnson and Nixon). Such high-profile events led to TT appearing on a national tv show (Mike Douglas), National Public Radio and numerous commercials to promote PAL and its great work.
CAREER SATISFACTION
The 26th PAL Center, located at St. Anne Hall in Philadelphia, is dedicated to TT after generous donations made by former PAL volunteers.
In addition to the visible plaque honoring TT, his influence over so many lives – especially setting the example of demonstrating sincere respect for everyone regardless of skin color or religious affiliation, will continue to improve the community which TT served as both a caring police officer and as mentor.
After retiring from the police department, TT ran sports leagues for adults and children. TT’s legacy is preserved from mentoring and teaching the important principles of life to thousands of then-youths who have in turn, passed along his message to tens of thousands more. TT did so as a humble, hardworking man who always stood up to bullies and fought against injustice on the most basic levels in the communities he served.
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This career story is based on an obituary for Thomas “Tommy” Thomson, published by The Philadelphia Inquirer on September 20, 2023.
