It is with great sadness we share news that TFAS Trustee Emeritus Thomas (Tom) L. Phillips passed away at his home in Newport Beach, California, last week.
Tom was a generous man who supported TFAS for many years, including a $1 million gift in memory of TFAS co-founder and longtime president David Jones in 1998, that enabled TFAS to buy its current headquarters building. He was a member of the TFAS board from 1997 to 2006, after which he served as Trustee Emeritus.
Tom was an extraordinary entrepreneur and generous philanthropist. He used much of the wealth he created to support constitutional principles, a democratic society and a vibrant free-enterprise system. Under his leadership, The Phillips Foundation developed the Robert Novak Journalism Fellowship Awards Program in 1994. Tom’s good friend Bob Novak served as inspiration in creating this program. Tom turned over responsibility for the program to TFAS in 2013. There are now more than 150 Novak Fellows who have written hundreds of books.
Tom first met David Jones when he was a student at Dartmouth College. In his career, he was a successful entrepreneur in the publishing business, turning a newsletter he published in his garage into a Phillips International and Eagle Publishing, which owned Human Events, Regnery Publishing and many other media entities. TFAS Trustee Jeff Carneal served as president of Eagle and worked closely with Tom in building that successful company.
“While Tom was always a staunch conservative, he did not dive into full-blown activism at the beginning of his career,” Carneal said. “Rather, he spent decades focusing on building his significant, profitable publishing companies. Tom then used his financial success and business acumen to provide financial backing and intellectual leadership to the causes in which he so firmly believed. Much of what he did was under the radar. He was definitely an unsung hero of the conservative movement.”
Tom used much of the wealth he created to support organizations such as TFAS and Young America’s Foundation (YAF).
In 2013, TFAS inaugurated the annual Thomas L. Phillips Career Achievement Award in Tom’s name to recognize the accomplishments of a leader who has made major contributions to the field of journalism during a long and distinguished career.
Tom served on the Board of Visitors for the TFAS D.C. Summer Journalism program for many years, pushing TFAS to increase the number of students attending each summer. He was also a founding member of the Frank Meyer Society.
TFAS Chairman Randy Teague reflected on Tom’s success, noting, “There’s a principle which captures Tom accurately: when you set a goal, you’ve got to accomplish it.”
“That determination led to Tom’s business success but it didn’t stop there,” he continued. “He developed programs through his philanthropy that focused on young people, for he knew the future success of our Republic was in their hands. That’s where TFAS fit. He gave his time, talent and treasure to support our programs.”
TFAS President Roger Ream called Tom “a truly great American.”
“I always enjoyed visiting him in his beautiful home in Newport Beach,” Ream said. “Even in the past year, as it became more challenging for him to speak, he had a keen interest in the programs of TFAS, the work of the Novak Fellows, and state of journalism in our country.”
Tom’s legacy lives on through the organizations he supported and the journalists he empowered. He will be deeply missed by all who knew him. His dedication to TFAS and its mission will continue to inspire future generations of leaders. His passion for journalism, free speech and America will continue to be a guiding light for all of us at TFAS.
TFAS staff and board are keeping Tom’s family in our thoughts during this difficult time.