W. Thomas Lamm

P   Madison -- W. Thomas Lamm, age 60, beloved father, brother and friend, passed away unexpectedly in his sleep, of natural causes, on Thursday, December 3, 2009.   Tom was a gentle, loving and highly principled soul.   He grew up in Middleton, Wisconsin in the 1950s and 60s, and was fond of noting that at different times his family had lived in the smallest house, the largest house and the highest house in town.   Tom graduated from the UW Madison with a degree in political science, followed by a master's degree in landscape architecture/land use planning.   His first job after school was at the UW Environmental Awareness Center where, working for Phil Lewis, he wrote the landmark Open Space Preservation Plan for the Town of Dunn, and developed similar plans for Spring Green, Prairie du Chien and other municipalities around Wisconsin.     In 1981 Tom pursued his vocational dream and founded the Wisconsin Rural Development Center, based in Black Earth for over 20 years.   The center's mission was to empower small, independent farmers in Wisconsin to have a political voice and work together to improve the sustainability of family farming in Wisconsin.   During this time he also worked with his friend Jim Arts to lay the foundation for Wisconsin's Sustainable Agriculture Grant Program, a groundbreaking program that enabled farmers and others to demonstrate a wide range of sustainable farming practices and processes.   In 1989, he turned the reins over to new leadership and went to work for the UW Water Resources Center, where he wrote and edited the center's newsletter, ""Keeping Current.""   When his disability became too great, he retired, and spent his remaining years being a devoted dad and keeping up with friends by phone.   Tom had many significant accomplishments in his life, but his greatest joy was his son, Elliot, 20, who is now at college in Vermont.   While Tom couldn't be the kind of dad who played catch or took his son fishing, they spent untold hours together listening to books on tape, working on projects and playing practical jokes on each other.     Tom was preceded in death by his parents, Paul and Dorothy (Schultz) Lamm, of Middleton.   He is survived by his son, Elliot; six siblings: Judy (Dave) Figi, of Janesville; John (Sheri), of California; Mary (Rick) Feltman, of Illinois; Katie Lamm (Mark Rogers) of Arkansas; Mike (Jan) of Madison; Elizabeth Lamm, of Sparta; and many nieces, nephews, and extended family.   He is also survived by his friend and former wife, Barbara Samuel; longtime good friends Brian Root and Herman Felstehausen; and his devoted helpers Martin Chavez and Carl Yuder.     While no one could truly know or understand the unceasing pain Tom endured, day and night, for nearly half his life, his fierce spirit and determination to live life as fully as possible with his severe limitations was evident to all who knew him.   Tom, you are now free of the shackles of your pain.   You made your mark on the world.   We love you and will miss you always.   A celebration of Tom's life will be held at a later date and will be announced in this space.   Memorials may be made in Tom's name to the Madison Public Library, 201 W. Mifflin Street, Madison, WI 53703 or to the Heifer International Foundation, 1015 Louisiana Street, P.O. Box 727, Little Rock, AR 72203.