Thomas Howard Lewis (1901 - 1988)

Born 8 Jul 1901 in North Troy, Rensselaer, New York, United States

Husband of Gretchen Micheala Young — married 31 Jul 1940 (to 1969) in Westwood, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, United States

Died 20 May 1988 at age 86 in Ojai, Ventura, California, United States

Biography

Tom Lewis is Notable.

Tom Lewis was a Hollywood film and television producer. He was the founder of the Armed Forces Radio Service,

He was born Thomas Howard Augustine Lewis 8 July 1901 in Troy, New York, the son of James Henry Lewis and Mary Elizabeth Ranny.^[1]

He married Loretta Young 31 July 1940 in Westwood, Los Angeles, California.^[2] They were divorced 20 August 1969.

He died 20 May 1988 in Ojai, Ventura, California at the age of 86.^[3] His remains were buried at Saint Johns Cemetery in Lansingburgh, Rensselaer, New York.^[4]

Los Angeles Times Obituary:^[5]

Tom Lewis, the founder of Armed Forces Radio Service, which began linking GIs to the folks back home during World War II, died Friday at his home in Ojai. He was 86.

As an Army colonel, Lewis used his contacts in the entertainment industry to build the worldwide network from scratch.

"When he came on board, he said, 'We want every GI in the world to be able to receive radio from home,' " recalled Robert Beusse, a longtime friend and business associate.

Lewis accomplished his goal.

Traveling throughout the world, Lewis selected transmission points to beam the broadcasts and encouraged stars from Hollywood and New York City to perform on the air. The network's founder received a number of awards for his efforts, including the Legion of Merit and the Excellent Order of the British Empire.

Lewis, who produced many films and television programs during his career, also launched the Screen Guild Theater, a long-running radio program, in the 1930s. Profits from the show were used to start the Motion Picture and Television Country Home and Hospital in the San Fernando Valley.

Lewis was married to actress Loretta Young for 30 years before the couple was divorced in 1970. The couple created Lewislor Films Inc., which produced the Loretta Young Show for television.

Lewis leaves two sons, Peter Lewis of Santa Barbara and Christopher Lewis of Tulsa, Okla.; a daughter, Judy Lewis of Los Angeles, and a sister, Ruth Lewis of North Troy, N.Y.

A funeral Mass will be celebrated at 12:30 p.m. Monday at St. Thomas Aquinas Church in Ojai. Another Mass will be said Thursday in Troy, N.Y., where he will be buried.

Sources

1. ↑ His World War II Draft Registration provides the following information: name: Thomas Howard A. Lewis; registration date 14 Feb 1942; Beverly Hills, CA; employer: Young Ans Rubellen; birth date: 8 July 1901; birthplace: North Troy, New York; height: 5' 11"; weight: 170; eye color: Hazel; hair color: black; Relative's name: Loretta Lewis. "California, World War II Draft Registration Cards, 1940-1945," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QGFS-CNFY : 2 March 2020), Thomas Howard A Lewis, Beverly Hills, Los Angeles, California, United States; from "Draft Registration Cards for California, 10/16/1940 - 03/31/1947." Database and images. Ancestry. (www.ancestry.com : n.d.); citing Draft Registration, Beverly Hills, Los Angeles, California, United States, citing NARA Records of the Selective Service System, 1926-1975. Record Group Number 147. NAID: 7644723. Records of the Selective Service System. The National Archives at St. Louis, Missouri, n.d.
2. ↑ "California, County Marriages, 1850-1952," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:K8VF-4S6 : 9 March 2021), Tom Lewis and Gretchen Young Withers, 30 Jul 1940; citing Los Angeles, California, United States, county courthouses, California; FHL microfilm 2,114,374.
3. ↑ "California Death Index, 1940-1997," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:VGP8-3R4 : 26 November 2014), Thomas Howardaugust Lewis, 20 May 1988; Department of Public Health Services, Sacramento.
4. ↑ Find a Grave Memorial for Thomas Howard Augustine Lewis.
5. ↑ Los Angeles Times (California) 22 May 1988, obit for Obituaries Tom Lewis, 86; Founder of Armed Forces Radio, GenealogyBank.com (https://www.genealogybank.com/doc/obituaries/obit/0F8EAC8505CBFA3C : accessed 14 July 2021)