Tom Padgett

Born Thomas Carter Padgett in Glen Ridge, New Jersey. Son of John W. Padgett and Shirley T. Padgett. His father, of English and Scottish descent, grew up in Pennsylvania and Oklahoma and was a chemical engineer/inventor. His mom, of English and Swiss descent, grew up in rural Illinois. Padgett has two older siblings -- one brother and one sister. The family lived in Upper Monclair, NJ, a sleepy little NYC suburb. In 1955, the family moved to Bernardsville in north central New Jersey connected to NYC by the Erie-Lackawana commuter rail system. Padgett attended the Bernardsville public schools from K through 11. The family moved the New Canaan, Connecticut in 1967 where Tom graduated from New Canaan High School in 1968. Padgett completed his B.S. degree in 1973 and graduated from PSC/University of New Hampshire. He was a hotel executive for nearly 30 years with 3 different upscale full service hotel corporations. He is currently (2015) retired and lives in Gilbertsville on Kentucky Lake.