MAN-OF-THE-YEAR
Tribute to Tom Payne
After you learn more about him send in your vote! Send messages also, especially if he had a positive influence on/in your life.
Maybe you went to school with him in:
Arkansas - North Little Rock, Little Rock, or Arkadelphia (Ouachita College, class of '35)Maybe you fished together or tied flies or just swapped stories. Maybe you were on the same tour - New England, Canada, Hawaii; or an Elder Hostel - anywhere & everywhere.
Then again you may have taken lessons with him in:
This same Tom Payne who abruptly entered his four sisters' lives in North Little Rock, AR on June 9, 1910 influenced each of them, as well as their children! His last surviving sister, Clare, died in 1999 at the age of 99 yrs. 7 mos. Till the end she still thought her "baby brother" was great. His visits to Houston were something she talked about her for days. When he visited his niece in Kentucky the whole neighborhood would hear about it - partly because he removes the "out of order" signs in her house, but also because he has cut the grass, given fishing lessons, and given tribute at his sister's and nephews' memorial services.
Tom knows Kentucky well, two sisters lived there, and he visited often as a child. He remembers the interurban rides - from Lexington to Nicholasville or Paris. Then the walk to the hackney stable, and the ride to a farm to see his sisters' in-laws. He remembers these "relatives." He will talk about these old times and memories, occasionally, when we insist, but most often he talks about current events. After all, this is the man who hosted the Super Bowl party because his was the largest TV in his circle of friends. On this TV he keeps up with (and has opinions about) current events, and to have him visit on election day is quite a treat! By 9:00 PM on November 5, 1996 he had me searching the Internet for results of the Arkansas election.
I received my first e-mail from Tom on the evening of Dec. 28, 2002, after he got his first computer up and running! CONGRATULATIONS, Tom! And many thanks to John and Melody for buying it and getting it set up. Here's his birthday, June 9, 2003 when he got a new printer for that fancy computer.
But this man does not live alone. Oh No! Lucy is right beside him all the way. In fact, I think she has brought him into the real world of "enjoyment of the moment." Not that they necessarily subscribe to new age philosophy or terms like that, but call it what you will, she has nudged him along the path to modernity, and even a small amount of relaxation. 
He even reads some of the books she reads for their book-discussion group. I'm sure Tom has given her a "few" trying moments, after all he is a PAYNE, and his mother was a FOUST. By the nature of these genetic strains he is opinionated, strong willed and ready to show this side of himself to the world. Maybe you have read his letters to the editor(s), or to Ann Landers. You may even have disagreed with Tom, but that's OK, he has grown quite tolerant in his later years.
Here they are together in their home in Bentonville, AR.
Notice what's in Lucy's hand - if I were as good as she is at taking pictures you would be able to see what they really look like these days! 
These comments are a prelude to a real tribute. One in which you can participate. Please feel free to send messages via e-mail [email protected] or snail mail to Jo Thiessen.
Check out other aspects of the life of Tom Payne Man-of-the-Years
Check out other pages dealing with the ancestry of The Payne Family Tree