Tom participated in band, science club, swimming, track, and cross-country. He set the Bremen record in the 880 yard run in 1961 with a time of 2:03.5. In that same year, he set both the Bremen and Conference records in the 1.85 mile cross-country run with a time of 9:24. In his senior year, he set the school record in the mile run with a time of 4:37, that year he also finished first at the District Meet.
Tom’s performance at the Conference Track Meet in 1962 helped earn Bremen the first track & field championship by a margin of three-tenths of a point over Rich East and Oak Lawn. Mr. Bondi, Bremen's track coach, praised Tom’s willingness to “pick up the speed” when asked. He recognized Tom’s leadership on the track and his abilities in the classroom. Tom graduated in the top two-percent of his graduating class!
Thomas Dresser, M.D., served in the US Navy, as a specialist in Nuclear Medicine, from 1971 until he retired as a Captain O-6 in 1992. Since that time, he has been serving as a physician with a local VA Hospital. Tom has been an active member of his church for more than thirty years, teaching Sunday School and leading Bible study groups. Tom and his wife Mary, have four children. They personally support a home for foster children in Lamont, Missouri, a missionary team in Ireland, and a soup kitchen, where he spends his personal time doing what he feels is the type of work that God would want him to do.
His community work includes Las Trampas, an agency for residential care for handicapped people located in Lafayette, California, serving as President and member of both the Parents Club and the Board of Directors for over 13 years. He is also deeply committed to supporting the American Heart Association (AHA). He and his wife served as co-chairs of the Annual fundraising event for the AHA in Columbia, Missouri from 2007 thru 2009 and helped raise $100,000 in each of three events.
Throughout his life, Tom has participated in more than 400 half marathons and 51 marathons and ultra-marathons with a combined total of more than 50 thousand miles running and 23 thousand miles cycling. That’s not counting all the training miles! His training motto is “physical training is of some value, but Godliness has value for all things” (1 Timothy 4:8). Tom’s service, leadership, and training have touched the lives of many aspiring athletes. Many have said that Tom is a role model for Bremen’s Hall of Fame.
