!SOURCE: This is a biography written by their son Scott Richard McLeod,
smcleod@@landoflakes.com, from memories.
Thomas and Barbara are, by the accounts of almost everyone that ever
met them, two extraordinary people. They are personable, friendly, and
genuinely caring people. Not only to their family, but to friends and
strangers alike.
Thomas was educated at the College of St. Thomas in St. Paul,
Minnesota, and received a law degree from William Mitchell College of
Law in St. Paul, Minnesota. He had five children with his wife Barbara by
the time he graduated from William Mitchell.
Thomas was active in his local catholic church, Immaculate Heart of
Mary. He was a member of the 4th degree of the Knights of Columbus.
The deep catholic faith of Thomas and Barbara was the guiding force in
their life.
Thomas was politically active throughout his entire life. But in his
youth, he was active at the campaign level. He worked countless hours
and enlisted the help of his children as a volunteers for Joe O'' Neil, a
successful Minnesota State Senator in the 1970''s.
Thomas worked his entire professional career, 39 years, at West
Publishing in St. Paul, Minnesota. West Publishing was a privately held
publisher, primarily of law books, and a computer based legal reference
system called `Westlaw''. Thomas began his career at the bottom and
worked his way up through many departments like accounting and
marketing. He retired from West Publishing as a Senior Vice President
when the company was purchased by Thompson Publishing in 1996. In
business, I have discovered that only a select few people can
successfully lead at the corporate level. This was a quality that Tom
not only possessed, but a quality others recognized, or he would never
have reached the level he did.
In this same time, Barbara stayed at home to raise their eight children.
This was no small task. Yet even with a large family, she always
seemed to make an abundance of one-on-one time for me and my siblings.
As a young boy, she would read from books to me at bed time. I have
many memories of shopping with with her for clothes and other things.
And these are just my memories. Im sure my other siblings share the
same types of memories. She certainly had her hands full.
When all the children had grown and become independent, Barbara
started working away from the home. She worked as counselor at a
weight loss clinic, and an administrative receptionist at a doctors
office.
After retiring from West Publishing in 1996, Thomas and his wife
Barbara pursued a number of personal, business and charitable interests
together. With all of their children finally moved out of the house, it
was the first time since 1957, almost 40 years, that they could focus
their lives on their own interests and each other. I cannot speak to my
siblings, but this was a difficult adjustment for me. For 30 years they
had been at my beck and call. Suddenly, they were very busy and
difficult to get together with. Like all my siblings I suppose, I
learned to adapt to their new needs. And they continued to try to spend
personal and private time with me and my family as often as possible.
Barbara and Thomas dedicated not only financial support to charities,
but a significant amount of his personal time as well. Thomas used his
substantial business and political contacts, to act as a fund raiser for
the HealthEast Foundation, Cretin High School, and others. Together they
also worked as volunteers in a hospice center for many years. I also
began to understand the scope of their charitable interests, even though
they rarely discussed it. But small clues helped me understand the depth
and range of their giving. Their giving back to the community, in time
and money, was not for personal acclaim.
Though financially successful, money was never a driving force in
Thomas and Barbara''s life. They are the original authors of a notable
family quote; "Wealth can open many doors, but the key to heaven is
charity".
Thomas and Barb do however, leave a material legacy in the form of
Brentwood, a beautiful vacation property on Big Chippawa Lake in
Alexandria Minnesota. The property is a wonderful blend of nature and
modern convenience. Brentwood is named after Thomas''s father, Brenton
Archibald McLeod. Thomas and Barbara built this property up from
scratch and lived in the area almost exclusively in the summers after
1994, when the development began. The property included guest
accommodations for his family and special invited friends.