Thomas R. "Tom" Marshall

Aug 4, 1925 -

Feb 19, 2020

Longtime Alaskan Thomas R. "Tom" Marshall Jr., 94, died on Feb. 19, 2020, at Alaska Regional Hospital in Anchorage, Alaska.

Born Aug. 4, 1925, in a parsonage in Loupe City, Neb., to Rev. Thomas and Rose Marshall, he grew up in Nebraska and Webster Groves, Mo.

During World War II he was assigned to the I Co., 302nd Infantry Regiment of the 94th Division as a rifleman and assault team member. He landed on Omaha Beach, fought in Brittany, the Battle of Bulge and the Siegfried Line Breakthrough. He was awarded the Purple Heart, the Bronze Star and three battle stars.

Tom attended Westminster College in Fulton, Mo., and graduated in geology from the University of Colorado in 1950. He worked for the Texas Company in Black Mountain area. As a consulting geologist, he was active in oil, gas, uranium and phosphate exploration in the Rocky Mountains.

Donna Cooper and Tom were married in 1956 and moved to Alaska in 1958. They homesteaded on Wallace Lake in the Matanuska Valley in 1959. As an independent consulting geologist in 1958-1960, Tom made geological evaluations on the North Slope, Southcentral Alaska and on the Alaska Peninsula. In 1960, Tom took a job with the Division of Lands selecting the statehood entitlement lands. After the federal land freeze on statehood selections, he worked as a state geologist, Petroleum Supervisor and Chief Petroleum Geologist for the Department of Natural Resources while serving concurrently on the Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission. He expressed gratitude that he was able to work for Roscoe Bell and Phil Holdsworth, whom he considered key people in the work of making Alaska a viable state. After retiring from state service in 1978, he subdivided land adjacent to his homestead and worked as an expert witness for the State and Federal Trade Commission until about 1990. Then he pursued his hobbies of blacksmithing, fruit tree growing, marksmanship and the study of history. He was proud to have been a founder of the Alaska Geological Society and the Alaska Sailing Club. He was an original member of the Alaska chapter of the Society of Petroleum Engineers.

In 1982, Tom was presented with the Distinguished Service award by the UAF School of Mineral Industry. He was awarded for a lifetime honorary membership in the Alaska Geological Society and the American Association of Petroleum Geologists. He was a Legion of Honor member of the Society of Petroleum Engineers. In 1997, the Alaska Legislature formally honored Tom for his contributions to the State. In 2009, by formal order, the Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission designated their hearing room in perpetuity the Thomas R. Marshall Jr. Hearing Room. In May 2015, Tom received an Honorary Doctorate of Science Degree for his state contributions from the University of Alaska Fairbanks.

Tom is survived by his son, Charles Ridley Marshall of Anchorage; and friends young and old. His insatiable curiosity and willingness to stand for what he believed in will be remembered by those who knew him. At his request no service will be held, however a local veterans service will be announced in the future.