Thomas Fenn was a strange combination: a deeply intuitive nature, with a fully developed intellect. He was sensitive and generous to a fault. He opened the innermost veins of Fellowship culture, while sustaining an unbelievable third line of work. And he did all of this while maintaining a full career in the software industry.

I first met Thomas when he was moving from the Boston Center to the San Francisco Center, then the largest center in the school. The move provides an example of Thomas’ peculiar genius. He made an arrangement for a room at one of the San Francisco teaching houses, but on his arrival he found the room would not be available for another two days. Arriving midday, he used the washroom and the shower at the teaching house, and then went out in his car to begin the job search. Each of the two nights he drove out to Ocean Beach, just south of the Cliff House restaurant. He parked his car in a solitary spot, directly facing the Pacific Ocean. He put down the front seat, covered himself with a sleeping bag, and went to sleep – just as he used to do on the roof of the old Lincoln Lodge. He woke up, early each morning, alone at the beach with the vastness of the Pacific Ocean booming in. In this way he sought to emphasize the new chapter of his life.

Once established in the San Francisco center he would drive out to Renaissance three out of every four weekends. He would leave the city after work, dine at the Nut Tree, and arrive at Renaissance at about 9pm. He would be up again at 5am for ten hours of work in the vineyard. Then a change of clothes, a concert, and a dinner at the Lodge. The next morning a meeting, followed by a brunch with friends, and then the long drive back to San Francisco. He would arrive just in time to prepare for work the next day. He never talked about this schedule he just did it. That was the way he lived. And, at the same time, he managed to qualify himself as a successful programmer in the Bay Area.

With the opening up of the European centers Thomas relocated to Italy, where he stayed for many years. He became fluent in the language. I remember him particularly in the Milan Center, at the great Via Zanella teaching house, which hosted a continuous stream of visitors and an unending series of All-Italy / All-Europe events. Plenty of opportunity for third line. During this period I visited the Milan Center for an event, and was given a room in the teaching house. I later found out this was Tom Fenn’s room, and that he would regularly make it available to visitors on the big weekends, himself sleeping in a closet. So life between the closet and the rented room, with a secret system of accessing garments and bathroom utensils. Not only did he make his room available to me, and help with all the setups and cleanups needed for the events, but he took me out to a few historic sites in Milano, which only a resident would know. He gave really wonderful tours, that are still imprinted in my memory. He was the soul of generosity.

Thomas returned to the Renaissance area in the 1990s, basing himself principally in Sacramento, but also in San Francisco and Los Angeles. The Teacher knew that Tom could be relied on for special assignments. He might need something from San Diego, and he would just call Tom and it would be in his hands the next day. I remember Tom going, on just a few hours notice, to a series of assignments in Milano, Rome, and Florence. Tom delighted in things like this: suddenly the unknown makes its appearance, a move in unexpected directions, new faces, new places. And all this being given by C Influence, not by himself. He had a peculiar genius for living this way. At the same time he was the very opposite of a Fourth Way ‘adventurer.’ He was ever a modest, unassuming servant of the Gods.

Farewell, then, to the rarest of rare birds. May he now take flight in the molecular realm.