Francis Gerald Tomlin

Gerald Tomlin, A.S.I.D., A.A.A., is an award-winning designer/antique dealer from Dallas.

His career, however, did not start in design but in music. He is a graduate of the University of Rochester/Eastman School of Music and was a concert pianist with the Long Island Symphony. Only later did he graduate Magna Cum Laude from the Parsons School of Design in New York City. Part of that schooling included a scholarship for a year of study in Europe.

In addition to full time interior design work and appraisals of fine antiques for the firm that bears his name, Gerald has also served on the interior design faculty of Southern Methodist University and has been a guest lecturer at Dallas College. He also has an antique showroom in the Dallas Design District. He was a regular cast appraiser of “The Antiques Roadshow” WGBH Boston and a member of the American Society of Appraisers and the American Appraisers Association. He served on the Burlington Industries Design Board and designed textiles and linens for Burlington. He has offices in Dallas and New York and has designed exquisite residential projects, apartment complexes, hotels, offices and showrooms, throughout the world.

Gerald has won a number of awards for his interior design work. He is the designer of the 1986 & 1988 Better Homes and Gardens Idea house at NAHB. He won A.S.I.D awards for Product Design for Casa Vassali Furniture, and Outstanding Photography Design Award and Outstanding Design Award. Other honors include: the Wilsonart Corporation Award, the Halo Lighting Corporation Award (twice), the Diller/Homopal Corporation Award, the National Mirror Manufactures Awards, S.M. Hexter Corporation Award (three times), Institutions Magazine Award for Outstanding Commercial Design and the 1989 Choice Space Efficiency Competition.

He is preceded in death by his eldest son, Gerald Tomlin, Jr. He is survived by his wife of 58 years, Joanne Vassallo Tomlin; sons, Edward Tomlin (Shelley) and Christopher Tomlin; grandchildren Haley Tomlin, Edward Tomlin, Jr., John Tomlin, Henry Tomlin and Cadence Tomlin.

A Memorial Mass will be celebrated in his honor on Tuesday July 5, 2022 at 11:00 am at Calvary Hill Funeral Home in the North Mausoleum Chapel.