Thomas Gilmore MacLeod Simchak, the son of Matthew S. and Jane F. Simchak, was born in 1980 and grew up in Washington D.C. In 2003 he received his B.A. from Oberlin College, where he majored in Environmental Studies (honors), Politics, and Law & Society, with minors in History and Sociology.

During his time at Oberlin, Simchak took advantage of the various housing and dining options. In his first-year, he lived in Dascomb Hall and ate in Fairchild Co-op (spring semester). The following fall he lived and ate in Keep Co-op and in the spring he participated in the Danenburg Oberlin-London program. Throughout his junior year Tom lived and dined in Harkness Co-op, and during his senior year he lived off-campus at 148 N. Main St., and dined in Pyle Inn (Asia House) Co-op.

Involvement in the Oberlin Student Cooperative Association (OSCA) defined Tom’s years at Oberlin as evidenced by the number of official positions that he held in the organization. The positions included All-OSCA website coordinator, Harkness Board Representative, and membership coordinator for both Harkness and Pyle Inn Co-ops.

Oberlin student activist groups also interested Tom. His involvement in OhioPIRG peaked during his early years at Oberlin (Fall 1999–Fall 2001), when he served on the state board of directors. During his junior year he helped found Climate Justice, an environmental group whose mission at Oberlin is to persuade the administration to adopt policies that will make serious reductions in campus greenhouse gas emissions. Simchak pursued his interest in the outdoors through membership in the Oberlin Outing Club. He attended several peace rallies and other social justice protests.

During his last three semesters (Spring 2002–Spring 2003), he was elected to the Student Senate, serving two semesters as the Senate’s internal secretary. In this capacity he helped to defeat proposals to limit dorm access as well as addressing other issues of concern to the student body.

His interest in photography began in high school when he carried a point and shoot camera with him “almost everywhere, just in case something interesting happened.” This habit continued at Oberlin where, like most other places he visited, he took photos of everything he did. His photographs appeared in various student publications, including The Oberlin Review and The Skinny.

After the May 2003 Commencement, Thomas Simchak planned to attend Oxford University, England, for a Masters program in environmental policy.