Tom Mohr: Educator, mentor, leader, humanitarian, friend

These councils were made up of a principal, school board member, community member and a student. Tom asked the most penetrating questions and helped each presenter do their best. He was soft-spoken, smart, kind and had a special way with people.

A decade later, I served on the San Mateo Union High School Board of Trustees when Tom was hired as assistant superintendent. He quickly made his mark in a competitive, competent district where academics was key. The student body was diverse. There were students from very wealthy families and students from very poor ones, and many in between. Mohr always understood the needs of these different groups, from scholastic high achievers to those who needed remedial help. He never valued one above the other. I left the board for the San Mateo City Council before Tom was selected as the new superintendent.

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We both attended the same gym. Tom was a very quiet guy but we would often stop to talk. He was a ferocious athlete. Even after two knee replacements he would race, not ride, the stationary bike. After he retired as superintendent, he told me he wanted another assignment. He and wife Sandy had just purchased a second home in Tahoe and she imagined spending a lot of time there. But that was not to be. Tom accepted the job as president of Cañada College. He served six years in this position. Then he was elected to the San Mateo County Community College Board of Trustees in 2014.

He was later diagnosed with pancreatic cancer which is usually an imminent death sentence. But Tom’s cancer was found at its earliest stages because he had gone for a physical before elective surgery. This helped in the fight against this unrelenting foe. He had surgery, chemotherapy and after what must have been painful months to recovery, he was back in action. And Tom Mohr was as tough and determined as they get.

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In 2013, he wrote in his candidates statement on Smart Voter “what happens ( at a community college) is transformative, that lives are changed, that great teaching and opportunity to learn inspires individuals to become all they can be. This was an especially fulfilling experience for me because it connected with all the values, ideals and aspirations I had at the beginning of a career that caused me to become teacher ... .

“They are today, for most families of the county, the major avenue to affordable education. For so many of the people the colleges serve, they are the lone, available opportunity they have to advance the quality of their lives, to set goals and eventually join the ranks of those who compete successfully in a very challenging and dynamic economy. Without affordable education and training, provided in top quality, state of the art institutions of teaching and learning, the economy of the county itself becomes seriously restrained in the ongoing effort to maintain its prominence in quality of life and economic opportunity and the ideals of a democratic society become impaired.”

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In 2018, Tom ran for re-election to the college board. By then the district had changed to district elections. Richard Holober, another trustee, who lived in Millbrae, had moved to San Mateo not anticipating that Tom would run again. He ran a vigorous campaign while Tom did little. Mohr was so well known and admired but he never publicized his amazing list of endorsements. It was a mistake. Holober won.

Tom was very disappointed but not for long. He became even more active in a variety of organizations and causes. When he joined San Mateo Rotary he was welcomed as a rock star. Everyone wanted to have the honor to introduce him as a best friend. But former police chief Susan Manheimer got the job.

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When I received that awful email I felt the same pain as Tom’s many friends and acquaintances. We had lost someone very special who had made a difference in so many lives — mentor to superintendents, principals, teachers, students, board members and friends. It’s impossible to describe Tom Mohr in one word. He was many things to many people. To say he will be missed is an understatement.

Sue Lempert is the former mayor of San Mateo. Her column runs every Monday. She can be reached at sue@smdailyjournal.com.