Hobart and William Smith Colleges

From Student to Steward

Tom Melly’s Enduring Legacy at HWS

In a life well lived and full of connections to Hobart and William Smith, Tom Melly credited the late Honorary Trustee Bruce Bensley ’51, P’98, L.H.D. ’01 with keeping him tied to their alma mater. Melly and Bensley grew up together in Short Hills, N.J., where their mothers were close friends. Melly recalled attending the 1939 World’s Fair in Queens with the Bensley family during which the two young boys rode The Parachute Jump over and over for free, acting as additional ballast when needed. That sense of adventure and partnership continued at Hobart where the two played football. “Bruce was a year older than me and really guided me in getting settled at Hobart,” said Melly. They were Kappa Sigma brothers and even spent a summer during college working in the oil fields of Louisiana.

“In the history of the Colleges, there is no one who has done more than Tom and Judy. I look forward to reporting back to Judy on the impact of this gift, and the bright future their philanthropy has created.” —PRESIDENT MARK D. GEARAN

Melly also played lacrosse under the tutelage of Honorary Trustee Henry A. Rosenberg Jr. ’52, L.H.D. ’02, who was a two-time All-America selection and became a good friend. “I knew almost nothing about lacrosse as a freshman,” said Melly, “so Henry would yell directions to me on the field and I started to catch on.”

Melly graduated from Hobart with a degree in economics. What stuck with him is the curriculum, then called Western Civilization. “We had some amazing classes where everyone would hear the same lectures and then we would break down into smaller conferences for discussion,” he explained. “Some of the speakers were exceptional – very deep thinkers and way over my head. But I learned a lot, and even though the curriculum lacked an Eastern perspective which was eventually corrected, it inspired in me a real desire to see the world.”

To make ends meet in college, Melly delivered newspapers and recalls one faculty member – Professor of Art Eloise Wood – who told him to deliver the paper late on Sunday so she could make him breakfast. “She was very kind to me, and I’ve never forgotten it.”

“After I started a career and got my life going, Bruce encouraged me to join him in getting involved with Hobart,” explained Melly. “The Colleges needed a lot in those days. The facilities were lacking and the endowment was about $1 million. We knew that in order for Hobart and William Smith to survive, we needed to band together and do all we could.”

With Bensley, Rosenberg, Honorary Trustee William F. Scandling ’49, LL.D. ’67, and many others, Melly did just that.

Over the years, he served virtually every branch of the Hobart and William Smith community with enthusiasm and affection. In 1981, Melly was appointed to the Board of Trustees, where he served as Chair from 1987 to 1998. “I worked hard at it,” Melly said. “It was a big part of my life and I found I enjoyed it very much.”

Nearly every place Melly traveled for his career – he was the 20th partner at Goldman and a trusted adviser to the firm, he identified HWS alumni in the area to get together for a meal. In 2008, when he was made Trustee Chair Emeritus, the Board made buttons with Melly’s face on it that read: “I had lunch with Tom.” Having lunch with Tom meant being asked to do something for HWS. “That was the most effective way of raising money – one-on-one,” said Melly. “They were adults and they knew why I wanted to meet with them. And I really liked the challenge.”

Melly met Judy on board a Metropolitan Museum of Art cruise from Lisbon to Venice, and they married in 2007. That cruise was the first of many such trips the couple took, often with Judy’s mother, Mary; his children - Thomas, Laura, Lee and David, and their families; and Judy’s children – Eric and Lisa, and their families. Judy continues to oversee her family’s agriculture business that spans three states in the Midwest. She has been a frequent visitor to Geneva, accompanying Tom to Board meetings and enthusiastically supporting HWS. For her commitment to her husband’s alma mater, Judy received an honorary degree from Hobart and William Smith in 2016.

“In the history of the Colleges, there is no one who has done more than Tom and Judy,” said Gearan. “I very much look forward to reporting back to Judy on the impact of this gift, and the bright future their philanthropy has created.”