I can’t believe it’s been 3 years since Tom passed. But his memory is still very much with me and no doubt with all of us who knew him. He’s an unforgettable spirit, who will live on in all our hearts. Wishing his family and closest friends peace and comfort and happy memories today and always.

Dr Borak taught me everything I know about radiation physics, and more importantly was a dear friend and trusted mentor in life. 


Dear Marie Loise, Joyce and I wish happy memories of all the  wonderful times shared with family and friends!
My memories of Tom were his never-ending curiosity about all sorts of matters and things, as we shared in fascinating conversations while visiting!
We send you our love and prayers.


Joyce and Mike Moody 

With a heavy heart I speak about Tom Borak who left this Earth which he dearly made many contributions to, from his heart and, because of his many talents.  Tom and I played side by side as First Chair slide trombonists throughout high school in New Prague, Minnesota. He was always kind and considerate, and never missed a rehearsal or a concert.  He blew his trombone louder than I did,  and sometimes hit a wrong note - but I never mentioned that to him, because of his enthusiasm for music ! He was as perfect, as perfect can be. I remember him with gladness and joy. 

I think of Tom and his wonderful family often.  Losing Tom was losing a friend, a colleague, and a damned good physicist.  He was truly one of a kind. 

In loving memory of Tom Borak, who was my "rock" as we shared the responsibility of playing 1st chair Trombone in concert band, in high school, for three years. We won the state of Minnesota 1st prize for concert band, got  a free trip to Chicago where we performed, and it was recorded for the radio - a very big deal in those times.   Tom never missed a rehearsal, and was dedicated in learning the music well, and played his slide trombone with all his heart, at his young age. One of my best memories of high school, in New Prague. Thanks Tom, may the love you shared with your loving family, always be with you, and give them strength in this time of loss. Signed, Your slide trombone partner, 1st Chair, Susan (Marek) Murar, cum laude BA, MFA, AOCADU'84, Esteemed Sculptor, Canada.


Tom Borak was my friend.  When he joined the faculty at CSU in 1977, I was delighted to have a “real physicist/mathematician” in the department. He was always generous when I sought his advice, help, and collaboration, as a kibitzer for kicking around crazy ideas, or as my puzzle-math mentor.  I marveled hearing stories of his interesting experiences in life that helped me appreciate the flavor of the Tom I knew. 

When Tom was 9, his grade school Principal called him and his 7-year-old sister to his office to notify them that their father had just died.  He then sent them back to their classes to finish the school day!  So much for empathy. His mother (Mayme) found work playing piano with some local bands, and Tom also worked hard to help.  He was proud of his mother, as he recently expressed in a written tribute to her.

Tom was also fully capable of some mischief.  In one story he and his boyhood friends, Dave Timmons and Rick Vanasek, drove Dave’s father’s car onto a frozen lake with ice that was too thin. While Mr. Timmons was coordinating the car recovery, and the cold boys were asking how they could help, Mr. Timmons advised them to “ … Just get down on your knees and pray!”   In 2018 these same friends successfully nominated Tom for an award as New Prague High School “Alumni of the Year”.

Everything Tom did, he did well. And he did a lot of things. He became a very good fly fisherman.  I spent quite a bit of time with him, along with Ward Whicker, fishing in Colorado, Wyoming. Alaska, Mexico, and New Zealand. 

He cherished his wife, Marie-Louise, their daughter, Theresa Cordova, son-in-law, Francisco Cordova and grandchildren, Emiliano and Eloise, as well as his sister, Helen Anawalt.  He also cherished and respected his friends.

Tom was a gentleman, a scholar, and an Epicurean who enjoyed every minute of every day to the best of his enormous ability.   He set an example for us all, and this would be a better world if we could follow it.



A bright happy light left our universe last week. Tom shone with the energy of joy, humor, great kindness, enthusiasm and a delight in all that was around him. I was not a professional colleague of Tom (although my husband Ward was)—we were just close family friends for more than 40 years. Ward and I, Tom and Marie Louise spent many happy hours hiking, skiing, fishing, relaxing, picnicking, sharing dinners, and conversations and laughter. Tom will be deeply missed but, thankfully, he left us with a wealth of memories to hold dear. 

Our deepest sympathies and love go to Marie Louise, Theresa, Francisco, Emiliano, and Eloise.

April


To the family and friends of Dr. Tom Borak,

Tom was my radiation physics professor in graduate school at CSU starting in 2008. Tom took the time to teach a lowly biologist the ropes and always sought to encourage me, even when I struggled through several portions of his courses. He continued to mentor me even after I finished his course and long into my post-doctoral fellowship. Not everyone can tell you everything you need to know about neutrons... 

In my current role as a program officer in NASA's Space Radiation Element, I would like to take a moment and please ask that Tom be honored for his absolutely monumental contributions to our understanding of the space radiation environment and acknowledge how fundamental that understanding has been towards our efforts at ensuring astronaut health. 

Thank you for supporting a wonderful man who has allowed the next generation(s) of radiation scientists to stand on the shoulders of a giant.

Sincerely,

Brock Sishc
 

I was saddened to hear of Tom’s passing and will miss the fishing trips, and conversations with him. He seemed to always have a new story to share whenever I saw him.

 All those times together fishing are memories I’ll never forget

RIP 
Borak.


Hey Coach,

I immensely enjoyed being your classmate at SJU class of 1964. Your sense of humor while presenting your Chalk Talks at the La before football games was always the highlight of the day! 

You are and will be missed by many. 

Rest in peace, my friend.

Bill Draves
SJU '64

Dear Marie-Louise and Theresa - 

What a surprise to learn of Tom's passing.  I'm so sorry.  I read the rest of the posted memories so far, and I'm struck by several things:  

His significant contribution not just to science, but to the people involved in science:  "Tom was a huge influence" "I give him credit for what I've been able to achieve" "He inspired me" "He had my back" "Tough but fair" "He took a chance on me" and more.  Tom's influence and legacy will clearly live on in the guidance and teaching and mentorship he provided to a whole generation of scientists in his wake.  

His humor, sense of wonder, and how his presence could fill a room.  As our families were personal friends, I will mostly remember him for that - from music to laughter to his amazing alphorn.  

You are in my thoughts, and Tom will be missed. 

Martina and Mike Wilkinson (Gessler)



Marie-Louise, Theresa, Francisco, Emiliano and Eloise.
I am so deeply saddend over Tom's passing. For more than 40 years, my children, grandchildren and I were able to enjoy the great hospitality and such wonderful times with Tom and his family. One of my favorite memories together was,  when Tom gave everyone a special performance by playing the Swiss Alphorn. He performed with such joy and brought to me, a little piece of home. Tom  was a fun loving, kind and special man, blessed with enormous talents and will be very much missed. I extent my prayers of comfort and strength to you and will hold you close to my heart during this difficult time.
Love, 
Ilse Stilson

For many years we've seen Tom and his family at the Lincoln Center, Fort Collins.   They obviously  enjoyed dance, symphony, and other enriching cultural events.    We always had a short conversation in the foyer during intermission.  They usually sat in or near our section.  They were always interesting in the doings of our family.

Mark, Jack, and I have been so very fortunate to have had Tom and Marie Louise as next door neighbors since we moved in two years ago. What a blessing in our lives to have gotten to know Tom as we would chat in our driveways and over the back fence. His presence has been a joy for us, whether coming and going from his fishing adventures, the pool, or a bike ride, he was always smiling and ready for a laugh. We loved talking about science and politics, landscaping and gardening, and small wonders of the world. We truly feel a loss, and are sending Marie Louise and the whole family our love and condolences. 
Andrea, Mark and Jack Delorey

I was saddened to hear of Tom's passing.   I remember the fun times our families had in the old days with the kids playing together and Tom's backyard parties with polka music in the background.  He was truly a good friend.

Tom was an enthusiastic scientist who instilled everyone around him with a sense of the wonder he saw in radiation physics. He will be sorely missed by all of us in the radiation community.

My grief from losing this true friend cannot be easily described or bounded by words.  We were colleagues in research and teaching at CSU for some four decades, but our close friendship developed over many years, largely through sharing time on trout streams and lakes with flyrods in hand.  We travelled around Colorado and Wyoming, as well as remote parts of Alaska, Mexico and New Zealand in search of more exotic fishing adventures.  As retirees with increasingly more free time on our hands, we often met to head up fishing; the kind where it become an excuse to be together and pontificate, debate, tease, laugh and just have fun.  Tom’s kindness, honesty, respectfulness and humor were the constant foundation to his interactions with literally all whom he met, regardless of setting or circumstance.  These qualities sometimes hid Tom’s brilliant intellect from those not in his scientific domain.  For me, he will remain, “larger than life”, and a source of many precious memories. 

Dear Mary Louise and the Borak family,

I was a teaching assistant for Tom in 1980 for his (infamous!) health physics class at CSU, my first year in graduate school there, and that began a 40-year friendship. He was a tough teacher, but a great teacher. And no matter what I accomplished in my career in later years, I give him a lot of credit for what I was able to achieve. I was always learning from him and, I asked him for his input many times, believe me … as recent as a month ago. I’m already missing Tom and I know the radiation protection field has a lost a pillar. He was eminently credible and knowledgeable. And, he was just fun to be around. I can’t say enough about the respect I had for Tom and I know others that he mentored,  like myself, will all now cherish even more that they had the opportunity to know him and to learn from him.

Steven L. Simon


MarieLouise and Theresa,  I am so sorry to hear this news.  I know you must miss him dearly. I have always enjoyed seeing him almost daily during the summer months at Village Green; it won't be the same without Tom and his Panama hat. I will keep you and the grandchildren in my prayers. 

Marie Louise and Teresa,  We are saddened to learn of the death of Tom.  We have lost a good man, husband, father, grandfather and good teacher.  Please know that you all are in our thoughts and prayers.  Our condolences to all of you.
Barb and Les Fraley

I am grateful to Dr. Borak - husband, father, grandfather- but to me - professor. He inspired me. He made me work harder than I thought possible. And he had my back.  

I just found Dr. Borak’s name listed in the obituaries in today’s Coloradoan. I’m so very sorry to learn of his passing. I worked with him at CSU for many years, and he was also my photography client through the years. He was a delightful character and always had something amusing to contribute to every conversation. My sincerest condolences to Marie and the rest of his family.
Mary Staley Pridgen

What an amazing professor and what a remarkable life. The field of radiation protection and the health physics community lost a legend. Tom had a huge influence on my life and I feel so lucky that I got to know him. I have always enjoyed talking to Tom at national and local meetings and will miss seeing him at these events. RIP Tom.

Riad Safadi

Dear Marie Louise, dear Theresa and family,

Our hearts are saddened to hear about Tom. I must have known him for close to 20 years, and I think we first met first at BNL. Both there and here Tom was one of the most energetic and fun people to be around, and he will be deeply missed.

We share your pain and wish you strength to get through these difficult times. 

Please know that we are thinking of you,
-claudia & frank


My deepest condolences to all of of Tom's family and friends. I remember meeting Tom in 1995 and planning what would become 2+ decades of fruitful collaboration. Tom had a powerful, infectious joie de vivre that made him a pleasure to be around.  I learned a  great deal from him, about science and life. He was, above all else, a kind and patient teacher.  He is greatly missed.

I am thinking of you at this time- you and your family are in my prayers. 
Sharon Petty

My condolences  to Tom’s family. He was certainly the prototype of a gentleman and scholar. Serving on committees with him verified for me his scholarly excellence.  But his outgoing, friendly, and interesting persona will let him live on in our memories.

Laurie and I were so sorry to learn of Tom's passing. We knew him ever since he came to CSU and always enjoyed running into him on the stairwells in our building, sharing discussions of national, state and university politics.  Even after his "retirement" we were happy to see him still helping others to be productive in their research. We will miss his smiling face and good humor.  Our deepest sympathies to Marie-Louise and his entire family.

My sincerest condolences to you all.  

Tom was one of my first instructors when I started graduate school.  He was tough and gruff, but also fair.   Over the years, working at CSU since I graduated, Tom and I would work together on smaller projects.  He was always ready to give me grief about the Steelers and would always spend the time needed to explain a concept or an equation that we were working on.  

RIP Tom.
Jim Abraham

Marie Louise & All of Dr Borak’s Family:

I’m shocked and saddened to learn of Dr. Borak’s passing. My heartfelt condolences go out to you. 

I will never forget Dr. Borak (I could never call him Tom) - he took a chance on me, a chemist from “that other UNC,” welcoming me into his program and work with NASA and LBNL, despite raised eyebrows from his colleagues. With his guidance, wisdom, and sharing of his passion for our shared field, I hope I lived up to his faith in my capabilities; I wouldn’t be where I am today without his faith in me. I also will never forget that while he worked diligently, he was always quick to smile, laugh with, and enjoy the world and the company who surrounded him. 

He gifted the world with his knowledge, passion and love of life. That is how I will choose to remember Dr. Borak. 


Dear Marie Louise, 
We were so sad to hear about Tom's passing.  I'll never forget our times together at Copper Mountain, and many many fruitful interactions in the department.  Tom was a major influence on me, both in my work leading the department, and with our colleagues in Japan.  His advice and tutelage in radiation physics was invaluable to me and many others in the department.   His 44-year legacy in the department will live on forever as his knowledge passes to each successive generation of scientists.   I was fortunate to co-author a manuscript with Tom in 2011, and his collaborative work with Mike Weil had major impact in the department and the radiation biology/physics field around the world.   My deepest condolences on your terrible loss.  He will be missed!   Sincerely, Jac and Debra Nickoloff

Marie Louise, Therese and family,

My heartfelt condolences.

Tom was a pleasure to work with and an absolute joy to be around. I have countless warm memories of our times together.

Jack Miller

Marie Louise, Therese, and family,

Deeply saddened for your loss, Tom was one of the most influential people in my life.  He had such an enormous impact on all of his students and showed sincere concern for all of our lives, sticking with us for decades.

He called my daughters his "grandstudents."

Always happy, lighting up a room, the best professor, insisting on thinking of others ahead of himself. 

Husband, father, grandfather.  Tom was a hero.

Love,
Phil


Marie Louise and family, 
Tom and I came to the Department the same year and we spent our careers together.  I greatly admired him for being a great teacher and scientist, and he was a good friend.  He was such a fun person to be around.  I was always jealous that he was a better fisherman than I was.

I am so sorry for your loss.  He will be greatly missed.

Marie Louise and family,
We just received the news and are still speechless.  There are no words that help at this time yet we send love and share some of your sorrow.

Tom Borak was probably the main reason that I still remember  anything about radiation physics!  He was a talented teacher with a great sense of humor, and always had a smile on his face when he'd bump into one of his old students at a conference.  So many good memories!  Tom will be missed.

Mary Louise-Tom was a very special person.  He will be missed by everyone he has touched over the years.  My condolences to you.

There was no one else like Tom Borak.  Never a lack or stories and always great time.   Last time I touched base with him was in December.  He sent me a beautiful picture of Louise and him at 12,000 feet.  Louise and Family...thoughts are with you.  

Dear Mary Louise and family,
I am so sorry. This is such sad and shocking news.  My thoughts are prayers are with you.  Sincere condolences to all.  Susan

Marie Louise and family
So sad to hear of Tom's passing.  You are in my prayers.  It was so great to reconnect with Tom these last couple of years.  It brought back so many great memories.
George Mikiska

OBITUARIO

Thomas Benjamin Borak

2 agosto, 1942 – 25 enero, 2021

Allnutt Funeral Service – Drake Road Chapel

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