Funeral services

Funeral services will be held Friday, April 8th at 10 a.m. from the Biega Funeral Home, 3 Silver St., Middletown, CT, followed by an 11 a.m. Funeral Liturgy in St. Bridget of Kildare Church, 75 Moodus-Leesville Rd., Moodus.

Burial will be in Burr District Cemetery, Higganum.  Friends may call at the Biega Funeral Home Thursday from 5 to 8 p.m. In lieu of flowers, please send a memorial gift towards Sara Winslow Oliveri's run, for Tom, in the Boston Marathon to benefit the Claudia Adams Barr Program at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in memory of Tom Carroll to, DFMC, c/o Abby Mulligan, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, 10 Brookline Place, West Brookline, MA 02445. Or go www.dfmarathon.kintera.org, under visitors, click on support a runner then type in Sara Winslow Oliveri's name.

OBITUARY
Thomas Joseph Carroll, Jr., 65, of Turkey Hill Rd., Haddam, CT, beloved husband of Lydia Ann (Winslow) Carroll, died Wednesday March 30, 2005 in Londonderry, NH after a courageous battle with stomach cancer.

He was born in New York City, NY, the son of the late Thomas J. and Margaret (Wheeler) Carroll. A graduate of Fordham Preparatory School, NY, he later went onto to Yale University where he excelled as a runner. He was the Director of Admissions and Development at Independent Day School, Middlefield, prior to his retirement. After his retirement, Tom became known as "Mr. Mom" to the children Lydia and he fostered.

Besides his wife, he is survived by his three sons, Thomas J. Carroll of Washington, DC, Stephen R. Carroll of Londonderry, NH, and Edward W. Carroll and his wife Barbi of San Antonio, TX; his daughter, Laura C. Brown and her husband Patrick of Gulf Breeze, FL; two grandchildren, Jacob and Morgan Brown.
 

Remembering Tom Carroll

As Jim Stack died a couple of years ago, that is truly the end of what was a great 2 Mile relay team and what was known around here as the Carroll-Stack era. With Wendell Mottley and Jay Luck overlapping, those guys won 5 consecutive outdoor HEPS from 1959-64 and probably fared pretty well in the IC4As as well. 
Mark Young--Yale Coach
 

Tom was always interested in the progress of the team at the Prep and obviously a great inspiration to the kids.  He attended a number of our recent city championships and was always encouraging our athletes.  His school soph. 880 yard record was finally, broken by our Brian Doherty, also a fine 400m hurdler, last spring.   When he saw on our website that the record had fallen he said, in his characteristically dry Irish humor, "Keep that kid in the hurdles".

He will be sorely missed.

Sincerely,

George Febles--Coach, Fordham Prep
 

Sad news. I was, of course, at the 1961 Easterns when he won in 1:51.6. Jim Orr, who later ran on Villanova's WR 2MR team, was among the trailers that day, set a NJ state record of 1:54.1 behind him.
Ed Grant-New Jersey Track
 

(Carroll was one of the first athletes drafted for a T&F "fantasy" game in 1957.  Cordner Nelson, the co-founder of Track and Field News, talks about his efforts to get Carroll for his team.)
After his sensational HS year, I tried hard to make a trade for him with Syd DeRoner. I offered a lot, and, finally, in frustration, I asked Syd where he rated Carroll on his team. Syd said Carroll ranked number one.� 

The news of Tom's death was sad to hear.  I was one guy who chased him through HS and beyond.  He set a National record and I moved into fifth on the all time 880 list in 1957.  We both competed at nationals in 1957.  I just missed the final and always wondered how I would have done versus Tom had I been in it.  We ran in separate semis.  Tom was a great guy and I have always placed him on a pedestal among the guys I ran against.  I last saw him many years ago at Wesleyan with his son.  Wish it wasn't the last time.  Ironically, he was predeceased by one of his Harvard rivals and a good friend of mine, Jed FitzGerald, who also succumbed to stomach cancer a little more than a year ago.

Steve Paranya (1961 IC4A Mile Champion-Wesleyan)

R.I.P.-Former Prep Star Tom Carroll
by Walt Murphy

Walt Murphy's News & Results Service

wmurphy25@aol.com

    Tom Carroll, who had a sensational senior year at NY's Fordham Prep in 1957, succumbed to stomach cancer on Wednesday, March 30, at the age of 65.
    During the 1957 indoor season, Carroll won the National Interscholastic title in the 1000-yards at Madison Square Garden, setting a National H.S. Record of 2:15.0. Two weeks later, again at the Garden, he won the NY City Catholic League (CHSAA) title in the 1/2-mile, setting another National H.S. Record of 1:54.9. Track and Field News named him the Outstanding Performer of the 1957 Indoor season.
    It was outdoors, though, where the 17-year old Carroll rose to another level. At the CHSAA Championships, held at Downing Stadium on Randall's Island, he won the 1/2-mile with a sensational time of 1:50.6, which shattered the previous National H.S. Record of 1:52.3, set in 1954 by California prep Don Bowden, who just the week before Carroll's race had become the first American to run a sub-4 minute mile(3:58.7). Less than a week later, Carroll extended his 2-year winning streak to 25 by winning the 1/2-mile at the Eastern States Championships (1:51.6).(Reprints of NY Times stories can be found at:
http://www.fordhamprep.org/track/history/carroll880rec57.htm
http://www.fordhamprep.org/track/history/carroll1957.htm

    Carroll, whose running stride was nearly nine feet, went on to finish 7th at the U.S. National Championships in Dayton, Ohio, but he wasn't done just yet. Maintaining his great form during a European summer tour, Carroll set two more National H.S. Records, running 1:49.2 for 800-meters and 2:25.5 for the seldom-run 1000-meters. The latter mark stood for 46 years until Bobby Curtis (St. Xavier, KY) ran 2:24.79 in 2003. The 1:49.2 put him =9th on the U.S. performers list for the year.
     Carroll was never able to improve his 800 best much during his collegiate career, but he still had an outstanding 4 years at Yale.
     During his freshman year in 1958, when he wasn't eligible to compete for the Yale  varsity, he did well in "open" races in NY's Madison Square Garden, where he finished 2nd in the 1/2-mile at the Millrose Games and was 4th in the 1000-yards at the AAU National Championships. At the Boston Garden, he won the 1000-yards at the Knights of Columbus Inv. and was 2nd in the 1000 at the Boston A.A. meet.
He won three Heptagonal titles, taking the outdoor 880-yards in 1959 and 1960, and the indoor 1000-yards in 1961. He was also a 3-time IC4A Champion, winning the indoor 1000y in 1960 and 1961, and the outdoor 1/2-mile in 1960.
    Finally, Carroll led Yale to victory in four Championship races at the Penn Relays. He anchored the winning sprint medley and 2-mile(1:50.8) relays in 1960,  and added wins in the sprint medley (1:51.3) and distance medley (3:02.1y-3/4 leg) in 1961.
Ironically, Carroll was diagnosed last year with his cancer just a month after his wife, who has made a full recovery, found out that she had a brain tumor.
    Carroll's son Ed, who ran for Penn State for a couple of years and was also a manager for coach Harry Groves, tells us that a viewing will be held on Wednesday, April 7 at Biega Funeral Home, 3 Silver Street, Middletown, CT, and the funeral will take place the following day. For times and directions, call 860-346-1055.