Tom Forrester Lord

Tom Forrester Lord of Houston died March 8, 2023 peacefully at home. He was born November 21, 1938 in Waxahachie, Texas to Thurber Thomas Lord and Dahlia Forrester Lord; Thurber Lord, a distinguished Dallas Police Officer, died February 13, 2001 and Dahlia died November 8, 2004. Although Tom was born in a country house where his Mother was also born, he spent his childhood, youth and college years in Dallas. Early on, it was clear that Tom had the gift of high intelligence. In elementary school, he was double promoted from the fifth to seventh grade because he was so far ahead of his class in his studies.

His maturity and academic performance continued through high school.

At Sunset High School, he met fellow gifted students who shared his curiosity for knowledge, and remained his lifelong friends. Tom received academic honors from Sunset in 1956, and was awarded a full scholarship to Southern Methodist University.

Tom had remarkable leadership skills that began to shine at SMU. He became more interested in becoming a Methodist minister, through the Methodist Student Movement (MSM), which was a sponsored program for university students. One of his strongest mentors in life was Paul Blanton, the Director of the MSM on the SMU campus. Tom ultimately became the National Director of the MSM his senior year and planned the annual conference of the MSM held at the University of Illinois- Champagne in 1960. He spent that summer in Europe as a MSM representative for a Methodist program in international assistance.

While at SMU he gained valuable experience as the Youth Director at two Methodist Churches in Dallas. And again, he met members of those churches who became mentors and friends for life, one of whom expertly advised Tom on housing issues after he transposed from the ministry to a career in public housing.

Tom graduated Magna Cum Laude and third in his class from SMU in 1960, and was honored with membership in Phi Beta Kappa and the Blue Key Society. His mentor, Paul Blanton, was influential in Tom’s decision to enter Yale Divinity School, where Paul had attended. Tom was accepted to YDS in 1960 on a full scholarship and he fulfilled expectations again as a top divinity student and recipient of the homiletics award upon graduation in 1963. Also, during divinity school, Tom served as the minister of a small Methodist Church in Milford, Connecticut. It was during this ministry that he became interested in public assisted housing. However, despite his burgeoning interest in public housing, Tom continued on in graduate school at Yale in political science. After two more years at Yale, he decided his true calling was in public housing.

In 1966, he went to work for the Congressional Research Service in Washington, D.C., writing speeches and providing research to members of the US House of Representatives and Senate on public housing issues, which was a job he loved and talked about throughout his life. While this was his only position in government and only spent a year there, this had a great impact on his future career in housing.

After a year at the CRS, Tom’s career path took a turn that would determine his future both personally and professionally at the non-profit Urban America in DC. It was fortuitous that one of Tom’s colleagues at Urban America was a former Episcopal Minister, Bayard Clark. Bayard was so impressed with Tom that he introduced him to his daughter, Katharine, at their summer home on Cape Cod. They would spend many summers with extended family honing their love of sailing and tennis .

Kathy and Tom married and moved to Houston in 1967, where he established and became the Director of the Houston Housing Corporation for over forty years. Working with the City of Houston Mayor’s Office, Houston passed a housing code that regulated construction measures that protected the health and safety of residents, one of many accomplishments through Tom’s efforts and professionalism. His expertise in federal and state housing legislation was huge; even the Rice School of Architecture hired him as an Adjunct Professor to teach a course in the many aspects of low-income housing. Tom’s published book on federal housing policy was used as a guide for his course which he taught for over forty years.

After his retirement, Tom was able to do what he loved most: spending time with family, playing poker, tennis at Rice with his long time buddies, reading history, working crossword puzzles at which he was a whiz, and attending the symphony at Jones Hall.

Tom is survived by his wife, Kathy of 56 years; brother, Terry Richard Lord of Houston. His daughter, Stacey Lord Murphy (Hugh Murphy) of Farmington, Connecticut and their two children, Hugh Thomas MacLaughlin and Delaney Katharine. Son, Clark Stockton Lord (Jenn Char) of Houston and four children, Abbie-Louise Milby, Clark Stockton, Jr., Frederick Forrester and Charlotte Serena. Clark’s twin brother, Forrester Carlyle, died in 2008. Anne Lord and their daughter, Ava Christos live in Swarthmore, PA. His numerous adoring nieces, nephews, cousins and seven grandchildren gave him so much happiness. Tom’s last summer on Cape Cod in 2022, and Kathy’s 80th in December, created lifetime memories we will cherish forever.

Tom’s family wishes to express its gratitude to the remarkable health care he received from his cardiologists at St Luke’s Hospital. His emergency bypass surgery in 2007 saved and extended his life, and Dr. Mark Schnee provided him expert care until the end.

A memorial service in his honor will be held Saturday, April 29, 2023 10:00am at Christ Church Cathedral, 1117 Texas Avenue, with a reception to follow in Sanders Hall. The service will be live-streamed at https://www.christchurchcathedral.org/tomlord/