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Today's Featured Biography

 
Thomas Van Brunt

Biography for Thomas Van Brunt

June 25, 2011
534 Chapel Road
Amelia, Ohio 45102
[email protected]

Act I Childhood.
Tom was born of P.I. and Emma Lou Van Brunt in Willard, Ohio, on December 5, 1943. I lived in Plymouth, Chesterland and Stow, Ohio, until graduation from High School. Brothers Mike, now retired in Estes Park, Colorado, and Dan working for John Deere in Fargo, North Dakota.

Act II Theatre
I attended American University in Washington, D.C. for one year and transfered to Ohio State in 1963. There I earned a B.A. in Speech and an M.A. in Theatre. I worked mainly backstage in scene construction and stage lighting but also acted in several productions. On completion of my graduate degree I began college teaching. I was at Transylvania College in Lexington, Kentucky for five years where I was the Technical Director, ran the large theatre building on campus and taught courses in theatre history and literature, acting, stagecraft and stage lighting. While there I met Nancye Knowles who agreed to become my first and only wife. We were married in June 1969. Still are!

Together we went to Indiana University where I earned a Ph.D. in Theatre and Drama. In subsequent years I taught at the University of Portland, Oregon, Centre College in Danville, Kentucky, and Midway College also in Kentucky. Nancye later earned and M.A. at Morehead State University and a Ph.D. at the University of Georgia.

We were blessed with two children, Alice born in Oregon and Trevor in Kentucky.


Act III Religion/Church
Then God struck. After much discernment and prayer, I left full time teaching, attended seminary in Sewanee, Tennessee and was ordained a priest in the Episcopal Church in 1986. I served congregations in east Kentucky, northern South Carolina and central Ohio.

Act IV Retirement?
In 2008 I left full time parish ministry, took my pension and Social Security, but have continued to work. I have two part time paying jobs:

House Manager for a professional theatre in Cincinnati: I supervise volunteer ushers getting audience in and out of two theatres.

Church work: Sunday supply for clergy on vacation, Interim Priest for congregations between priests and Search Committee consultant assisting congregations in their search process. As of Christmas 2014, I am the long term supply priest for St. Mary Magdalen Church in Maineville, Ohio.

And I play. Gardening, reading, traveling and enjoying my two grandchildren.

Nancye and I have taken many trips, most notably we rode the Trans Siberian Railroad from Beijing, China, to Moscow, Russia, a 6 day ride on the rails. We travel regularly to a beach in South Carolina, the Smokies where we have a time share, to England for theatre and hiking in the countryside. And we work in community theatre in the Cincinnati area.




Our son Trevor is a Hospital biotechnician: he repairs and maintains imaging equipment at a hospital in Lancaster, Ohio. Our daughter Alice is married to Leighton Connor, they have two children, Abigail and Jackson. Alice is an Episcopal priest serving as a college chaplain at the University of Cincinnati. Leighton teaches High School English.



Act V Next.
There are too many books to read, plays to direct, places to travel.....so I don’t plan to die anytime soon.

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