Jeary

Tom was born at the St Lambert Hospital on January 31st, 1936, and was the second of three boys of Greenfield Park residents Nancy and Lionel Jeary. He attended grade school at Royal George School and completed his high school education at Chambly Country High School, graduating in the class of '53. He is remembered by childhood friends as someone with boundless energy and an insatiable curiosity who was always 'game for anything'.
“I have fond memories of my days at CCHS and, particularly of Ian Hume, who recognized in a tall thin kid, the potential to be a reasonably good track and field athlete. As a result of his mentoring, I successfully competed in the javelin, broad jump, high jump and pole vault both at the high school and university level and for the armed forces team while in Germany”.
Some of Tom's older friends remember him as a swinging boogie-woogie piano player who would perform his modest repertoire wherever a piano could be found.
In 1954 he joined the Canadian Air Force ROTP program and over the next 5 years, earned his 'wings' during the summers and attended university during the winters. He obtained a Science Degree from Acadia University and an Engineering Degree from Nova Scotia Technical School.
Upon graduation he spent the next 3 years in Germany flying F-86 Sabre jets both as a fighter pilot and as a test pilot. “It was quite a thrill, and sometimes a little terrifying to behind the stick of what was, at that time, the fastest plane in the world.”
While attending a dance at Acadia University in 1956 Tom met the young woman who would eventually become his life mate. “People have often told me I had good instincts and they only have to point to Nancy to make their point – this year (2007), we will celebrate our 50th anniversary”.
He returned to Canada in 1962 with considerable 'field experience' and joined the Pratt and Whitney Aircraft Company, eventually becoming their Chief of Quality Assurance.
In 1970 Tom made a career change and left engineering to study finance. He joined the investment firm of Dean, Witter, Reynolds and by 1974 was the Chairman and CEO. When the company was sold in 1979 and having grown tired of big city life, he moved to Waterloo, Ontario to build, and then manage, the local branch of, what is now known, as Nesbitt Thompson, a subsidiary of the Bank of Montreal.
Tom retired from the business world in 1996 to pursue his many interests, which include ultra light flying, photography, skiing, golf and music. Early retirement also permitted him to devote more time to a uniquely creative workshop concept that he developed after a visit to the McKay Institute in Montreal in the early 1970's.
The McKay Institute (now the McKay Centre School) served children with disabilities and, at the time, there were no children's wheelchairs. Tom observed the difficulties the children had with the adult chairs and decided to do something about it. In his home workshop he created small go-cart wheelchairs that enabled the children easier access and much greater manoeuvrability .
Since that initial breakthrough Tom has devoted thousands of hours into pioneering a practical, no frills approach to developing assistive devices that provide greater mobility, comfort and freedom for people with disabilities. He has built imaginative equipment for the Rotary Children's Centre, the Track 111 Ski Club, The Independent Living Centre Accessibility and several group homes.
To encourage other innovators, Tom and his son Scott created and funded a volunteer, non-profit web site in 1998. The site, www.workshopsolutions.com., not only establishes a forum for engineers, technicians, inventors and workshop enthusiasts to share their creations, but also provides interested parties with profiles on over 135 participants, their devices and applicability.
Tom, a popular and prolific speaker, has received many awards for his commitment to bringing a better quality of life to people with disabilities. He was voted one of this year's King Clancy Award winners; he is a recipient of The Rotarian of the Year and was Kitchener Waterloo's Citizen of the Year.
Tom and his wife Nancy live in Waterloo, Ontario, where apart from his passion for work he derives pleasure from two of his many hobbies, photography and flying.
Tom is still playing the piano and frequently performs at hospitals and nursing homes - often with his number one fan cheering him on.
Tom is considered to be the Billy Joel of the Geritol set.)
Tom and Nancy have three sons and a daughter, who have ensured that the Jeary legacy is perpetuated for generations to come by providing them with (12) grandchildren and (2) great grand children.

Tom spends hundreds of happy hours in his workshop designing and building assistive devices for the disabled.