It was a foggy November night in 1998 when Tom Hoffman first stepped onto Lakeside’s campus. Now, over 27 years later, he will retire as a changed man, leaving Lakeside a changed school.
If you’ve ever been to Lakeside Middle School or taken one of the school’s buses, you have likely met Mr. Tom, the community safety officer. While many know him for his cheerful smile and daily fist bumps, most do not know that, for example, when he closes the Middle School gates after bus duties, he would always remain outside, no matter how cold or rainy it was, even when he had the opportunity to go inside. Mr. Tom also always makes an effort to know little details about every student and shows up to school events.
Mr. Tom grew up in Seattle in the University District. Prior to his work at Lakeside, he served three years in the United States Army working with the West German air force to guard nuclear weapons, a “remarkable” experience that allowed him to develop his diligence and solid work ethic through challenging him “intellectually, emotionally, [and] physically.”
After leaving the army, Mr. Tom was hired by a guard company called Northwest Security Services. In 1998, the company connected him with Lakeside. He remembers taking the metro to his first day on the job. “I saw the clock tower, and I said, ‘There she is.’ I’m not sure why I said that, but I remember saying it with some excitement in my voice.” Soon after, he was given the keys to the buildings and, without any training, his time at Lakeside began. At first, he worked the night shift, where he walked back and forth between campuses for eight hours. Mr. Tom calculated that over his time here, he has walked over 25,000 miles on Lakeside’s campus, the same distance as if he had walked the circumference of the Earth.
In 2013, he transitioned from the night shift to his current position at the Middle School, where he works during the school day. He now has several responsibilities, including overseeing the bus services, patrolling the school throughout the day, guarding during evening events such as dances or performances, and serving as one of the first responders to any emergency that may come up.
Mr. Tom should be remembered as someone who far exceeds the basic responsibilities of his position. Perhaps Ms. Abu Rahmeh, the director of the Middle School, put it best, describing him as “the man who is willing to go beyond,” who consistently goes one step further to connect with every student. “I have never really worked with someone in campus safety like him … he set this whole idea of really knowing kids and knowing what their patterns are,” Ms. Abu Rahmeh said. “He also has a service heart. No matter how hard it’s raining outside, or how cold or busy it’s getting, or how tired he is at the end of the night … he always has the same stead[iness],” she added.
One student, Angelina S. ’26, experienced his warmth and care for the school firsthand. She first met him as a middle school student at The Evergreen School. While waiting for the school bus on Lakeside’s campus, she and her classmate would talk philosophy with Mr. Tom, discussions in which he would always show genuine interest in their lives and their days at school. Later, when Angelina came to Lakeside, she was able to have a smooth transition between schools, in part because of Mr. Tom’s support through “hav[ing] someone familiar in a space where [she] felt out of [her] element.” Now, as a senior, she continues to have regular conversations with him and values the advice that Mr. Tom has given her as she finishes her high school career. “All the care that he puts towards everyone [is] so unconditional,” Angelina remarked. “It’s impossible to put the impact that he’s had on this community into words.”
While many aspects of his personality have made him such a special community member, Ms. Abu Rahmeh also emphasized how, similarly to the experiences of Angelina, it is easy for students and staff alike to converse with Mr. Tom because he is approachable and open, and “he doesn’t put up any walls.” In a retirement celebration at the Middle School, Ms. Abu Rahmeh also reflected on how the genuine and present student response to speeches about Mr. Tom was “a testament to his impact over the course of generations.” Without hesitation, Mr. Tom himself also reflected that his favorite part of his job has been the students and the community, noting “there’s this level of respect here that I’ve never found anywhere else in [my] life experience.” When asked what students may not know about him, he sat back and declared resolutely, “I would take a bullet for anybody if it actually came down to that.”
Looking back on his 24 years here, Mr. Tom has seen the Lakeside community change in many ways. He chuckled as he remembered senior pranks from many years ago, including one group of seniors who stained their graduation year on the quad with gasoline.
One person in particular stood out to Mr. Tom when considering his time at Lakeside. He had the opportunity to meet and have many conversations with TJ Vassar after Vassar invited him to a morning basketball group at the end of the night shift. “I learned a lot [from him] about … how to interact with people that don’t agree with you … I can still hear the man’s laugh today.”
In his retirement, Mr. Tom looks forward to spending more time with his wife, his four cats, and his two dogs. He will also continue to collect postcards, which he began during his time in the army in the early 1980s. He now has a couple hundred from around the world. Mr. Tom also expressed the importance of getting the rest that he needs. “My retirement, though it’s emotional … cannot be otherwise,” he noted. He also emphasized how Lakeside has been an integral part of his life: to Mr. Tom, “the center geographical location in my universe is Red Square. That’s how much of an impact this place has had on me.”
After a week of school-wide celebration for his retirement that included student, staff, and PGA speakers; cards and gifts; a photo collage; and a clapout, Mr. Tom’s last day at Lakeside was on December 19. Stepping off of the Lakeside campus for the last time, Mr. Tom hopes to be remembered “as a man who had tremendous love in his heart for all humans.” All that can be said is that he most certainly will.
