Obituary of Louis Tomson

Louis Tomson, 71 of New Scotland, passed away at home on May 8th, 2012. He was the son of the Honorable Bernard and Rose Tomson. He is survived by his beloved wife Ingegerd, his sons Daniel and Anders, Dan's wife Kerry and their children Greta, Amelia and Sam, Andy's wife Mary Ellen and their children Annika and Catherine and his sister Elizabeth. His siblings Steven and Susan predeceased him. Lou was born in New York City and raised on Long Island where he attended Great Neck High School. He earned Bachelor of Arts and Juris Doctor degrees from Columbia University. The summer after college, he met his future wife Ingegerd Runblom while traveling in Norway. With charm, passion and persuasion he was able to convince her to move to the States and marry him. They were married for 47 years. Lou cherished his extended family in Sweden and took great joy in the many visits to his second home across the ocean. Lou spoke, read and argued fluent Swedish. Lou was always embracing his adopted "Swedishness" as a way to get closer to Inga. He devoted himself to learning her history and culture and even worked with Swedish clients later in his career. Lou was a passionate outdoorsman and athlete. He grew up sailing and racing on Long Island Sound with his father and siblings and later lettered on the Heavyweight Crew at Columbia University. He also rowed for the Vesper Boat Club in Philadelphia in the summer while working days in the Kelly Brickyards. Lou and Ingegerd made their home in the hills outside of Albany and loved the gardens and landscapes they created over many years. Lou was a committed laborer and spent many weekends working under Ingegerd's direction, digging, clearing and planting. For many years, the home was heated by wood that Lou stubbornly harvested on the property with the reluctant help of his sons. Lou was an avid biker and completed many tours with his wife throughout Europe and the United States. Lou and Inga travelled widely around the world. In the end, they walked on 6 continents together exploring the path of culture, evolution and art. They cherished these trips together. Lou embraced the human condition and spirit. He had a wonderful ability to develop personal relationships with people from many walks of life. He was committed to his work and meeting the maximum potential of each day. He loved the intellectual rigor of the law, the wonder of science and technology and the engagement and impact of public policy and government. He was able to weave all those elements into his professional life. Lou had a long and rewarding career in public service spanning over five decades. The family moved from Long Island to Albany in 1967 where Lou joined the Rockefeller Administration to work on the development of the South Mall. He remained passionate about public works, infrastructure and their benefit and impact for the public good. He reveled in the challenges of accomplishing major projects: the planning, financing, and legal issues as well as finding the path to make the theoretical a reality. Lou served in many capacities throughout his public career, including as General Counsel to the Office of General Services, General Counsel to the Dormitory Authority of the State of New York, General Counsel to the New York State Comptroller, First Deputy Secretary to Governor George E. Pataki, Chairman of the New York State Thruway Authority and as first President of the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation. He also had a rewarding career in the private sector as a practicing attorney and later as a consultant and strategic advisor. He was the Managing Partner of Plunkett & Jaffe and a partner at Hiscock & Barclay. He was Senior Vice President of Plug Power, a strategic advisor to the private equity firm BlueWolf and served on the Boards of WellChoice and Finch Paper. He was an active member of many charitable organizations and served on the Boards of the Primary Care Development Corporation, the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, the Research Foundation of the State of New York, and as Chairman of Albany NanoTech. Lou received many awards for his good works including the Ellis Island Medal of Freedom from the National Ethnic Coalition of Organizations, the Distinguished Career Achievement Award from The Municipal Forum of New York, an award from the Alliance for the Arts, Celebrating a Greener New York Award from the New York League of Conservation Voters and was conferred an Honorary Degree of Humane Letters from the University at Albany. For those wishing to make a donation in Lou's memory, please select an organization that you feel embodies your relationship with Lou. Lou and Inga often supported The Albany City Mission, Albany Medical Center as well as Capital Repertory Theatre. Services at Congregation Beth Emeth, 100 Academy Road in Albany, NY on Monday, May 14, 2012 at 11:00am. Friends and relatives are respectfully invited to attend.