As soon as Thomas Sumner ’67 (MBA ’68) set foot on the TCU campus as a student, he started making lifelong ties with his fellow Horned Frogs. Forging lasting relationships was a hallmark of the former TCU Trustee, who died Feb. 14.

When his family moved to Fort Worth from Longview, Texas, during his high school senior year, he arranged to graduate with his old hometown class. He kept friendships from elementary school and beyond throughout his life.

While at TCU, Sumner caught the eye of a young woman who was dating his fraternity brother. “He loved to dance, loved the parties, and he was good-looking, so why wouldn’t I notice him?” said Marilyn DeMoss Sumner ’68. But it was after they graduated, when they bumped into each other while Christmas shopping, that love blossomed. By that time, he had his MBA, and she was teaching.

And then: “We started dating, and almost immediately he was called up for the Air Force Reserve,” she said. Fortunately, he got assigned to Carswell Air Force Base in Fort Worth, and the couple married in 1971.

Sumner joined Arthur Andersen & Co. and moved to Houston, gaining the experience in banking, finance, real estate, homebuilding and property management that shaped him as an entrepreneur. He later formed Allpoints Surveying, a successful venture serving Texas real estate markets and beyond.

All the while, he never stopped backing TCU.

“His volunteer leadership role on the Board of Trustees and National Alumni Board were especially meaningful to him, and to us, thanks to his wise counsel,” said Don Whelan, vice chancellor for university advancement.

Marilyn Sumner said that over time she and her husband supported more changes at TCU. “Tom especially liked the direction the School of Business was going. He thought it was very applicable to the market in today’s world.”