Tom O'Mara
Childhood
Meet Mr. Tom O’Mara. He was born in New York but moved to Ireland at three months old after his father retired from working on the railroads. He had quite the experience in Ireland living near a cemetery. One night, he had the fright of his life. His mother thought she had seen a ghost at midnight and her screams shook the house! It may be hard to imagine what school was like for O’Mara back in Ireland. He went to a Catholic school in County Tipperary. There, the teachers were very strict and corporal punishment an everyday occurrence, he describes. At age nine, at the beginning of the 1940s, O’Mara moved back to America. Unfortunately, this was exactly at the time America became involved in World War II. O’Mara remembers six American ships being torpedoed by Germans when he was 10 years old. However, everything turned out more than okay for O’Mara.
Adulthood
At age 17, he began his work at the Radio City Music Hall as an elevator guide. His job description involved signaling the floor to which the elevator would go. This may sound like something out of a dream, but one day while running the elevators, he met the beautiful actress Elizabeth Taylor. Talk about a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity! He continued working there for four more years and then went into the Air Force in 1952. In the Air Force, he started off doing administrative work and then was sent to work with intelligence in Tampa, Florida and then in Virginia. In 1954, he went into the Korean War. After his homecoming, his life would take a turn for the best.
Meeting His Spouse
It is safe to say that O’Mara met his wife in what could be the most unique situation possible. After coming back from Korea, O’Mara met a friend who asked him to be the “Best Man” in the wedding coming up in the next six months. At the same time, O’Mara’s friend dared him to write to his friend, named Blanche. Back then, this would have been known as blind dating. O’Mara agreed, and for 6 months, he and Blanche wrote back and forth to each other. Finally, at the wedding of O’Mara’s friend, Blanche recognized O’Mara from a picture he sent her. From that point on, their fate was sealed.
Moving to Schertz
In 1968, O’Mara moved to Schertz Texas because he was assigned to the Randolph Air Force Base. The first thing that he remembered upon moving to Schertz was that the community was family oriented and that the farm land here reminded him of that which he owned in New York. Now, he describes Schertz as having grown to be a “big metropolis”. He used to know Mr. and Mrs. Schertz back when she was a realtor and he owned the washateria on Mainstreet.
College and Career
At the Randolph Air Force Base, he worked at the personnel center as an administrator. In the mean time, he was going to college in San Antonio and achieved his associate’s degree in middle management. O’Mara believes that his move to Schertz set the stage for his chance to get his college degree! Of course you are familiar with the North Star Mall. O’Mara worked at Josky’s department at the North Star Mall and also at Frost Brothers. The last job he held was at Macy’s at the Rolling Oaks Mall, but you would have had to be there before 2006 to see him because that is the year he retired.
Meet Mr. Tom O’Mara. He was born in New York but moved to Ireland at three months old after his father retired from working on the railroads. He had quite the experience in Ireland living near a cemetery. One night, he had the fright of his life. His mother thought she had seen a ghost at midnight and her screams shook the house! It may be hard to imagine what school was like for O’Mara back in Ireland. He went to a Catholic school in County Tipperary. There, the teachers were very strict and corporal punishment an everyday occurrence, he describes. At age nine, at the beginning of the 1940s, O’Mara moved back to America. Unfortunately, this was exactly at the time America became involved in World War II. O’Mara remembers six American ships being torpedoed by Germans when he was 10 years old. However, everything turned out more than okay for O’Mara.
Adulthood
At age 17, he began his work at the Radio City Music Hall as an elevator guide. His job description involved signaling the floor to which the elevator would go. This may sound like something out of a dream, but one day while running the elevators, he met the beautiful actress Elizabeth Taylor. Talk about a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity! He continued working there for four more years and then went into the Air Force in 1952. In the Air Force, he started off doing administrative work and then was sent to work with intelligence in Tampa, Florida and then in Virginia. In 1954, he went into the Korean War. After his homecoming, his life would take a turn for the best.
Meeting His Spouse
It is safe to say that O’Mara met his wife in what could be the most unique situation possible. After coming back from Korea, O’Mara met a friend who asked him to be the “Best Man” in the wedding coming up in the next six months. At the same time, O’Mara’s friend dared him to write to his friend, named Blanche. Back then, this would have been known as blind dating. O’Mara agreed, and for 6 months, he and Blanche wrote back and forth to each other. Finally, at the wedding of O’Mara’s friend, Blanche recognized O’Mara from a picture he sent her. From that point on, their fate was sealed.
Moving to Schertz
In 1968, O’Mara moved to Schertz Texas because he was assigned to the Randolph Air Force Base. The first thing that he remembered upon moving to Schertz was that the community was family oriented and that the farm land here reminded him of that which he owned in New York. Now, he describes Schertz as having grown to be a “big metropolis”. He used to know Mr. and Mrs. Schertz back when she was a realtor and he owned the washateria on Mainstreet.
College and Career
At the Randolph Air Force Base, he worked at the personnel center as an administrator. In the mean time, he was going to college in San Antonio and achieved his associate’s degree in middle management. O’Mara believes that his move to Schertz set the stage for his chance to get his college degree! Of course you are familiar with the North Star Mall. O’Mara worked at Josky’s department at the North Star Mall and also at Frost Brothers. The last job he held was at Macy’s at the Rolling Oaks Mall, but you would have had to be there before 2006 to see him because that is the year he retired.