NATCA Mourns Loss of Dedicated NATCA Brother Tom Berry

Below, read a message from NATCA National Organizing Committee Chairman John Bratcher on the passing of Organizing Committee member Tom Berry. You can read his obituary here.

Fellow Organizers, It is with a deep sadness that I bring you this news. One of our own has passed. On Wednesday, Tom Berry passed away. I will be sending something to his wife on behalf of the committee.

It is hard to put into words the passion, dedication, and love Tom had for his NATCA family. Tom became a member of the National Organizing Committee in July of 2012. When he retired in November of 2013 after 39 years in the FAA, he asked to stay on the committee. Mike and I discussed this and agreed to have him remain on the committee. The original idea was to have him train his replacement for three to six months; however, the passion Tom displayed for growing the NATCA family was bright. He was as motivated three weeks ago at our NOC meeting as he was in July of 2012. His passion to grow not just Region X but all of our NATCA family was strong.

Tom will be missed and remembered by many. His legacy will be carried by those who gained a collective voice through his efforts. For the next few days we will mourn the loss of our fellow NATCA Brother, but then we will move forward and do what Tom would want us to do: continue to organize and give a collective voice to those without one. Let us honor our Brother Tom by our efforts to bring those who we are organizing into the NATCA family.

In solidarity,

John Bratcher
Chairman, National Organizing Committee