Necrology

Thomas “Puff” Ray Puffer '54

Mar. 13, 1931-Oct. 16, 2022

Thomas ”Puff” Ray Puffer ’54 died on Oct. 16, 2022, at his home in San Diego. Born in Buffalo on March 13, 1931, he was raised in nearby East Aurora, N.Y., and came to Hamilton from Mercersburg (Pa.) Academy. On the Hill, he majored in psychology and history and was a member of Theta Delta Chi fraternity. Though he played football his freshman year, track was his sport, and he was on the team all four years. A member of the Block “H” Club throughout his time at Hamilton, he was also on The Hamiltonian staff as a junior.

Upon graduation, Puff served for three years in the U.S. Marines. During this period he met Sandra Hernandez and they were married on Aug. 13, 1955, in Las Vegas. They had two children together, but the marriage later dissolved.

In 1957, after being honorably discharged with the rank of captain, he tried to find civilian employment. He reached out to Milton Fillius ’44, a fellow Theta Delt who was working in San Diego, and who recommended Puff to the San Diego Employers Association (SDEA). He told Puff that they needed someone to assist with “the paperwork.” Starting out as corporation secretary in 1957, Puff was promoted in 1971 to managing director and remained in that position until 1996 when he began his “semi-retirement.” He also pursued graduate studies in industrial relations, earning a certificate from the University of California San Diego in 1959.

Puff primarily focused on negotiating labor contracts for hundreds of employers in the San Diego area. At one time, he averaged as many as 50 contracts annually. For many years, in tandem with his work for the SDEA, he also served as chairman of the Labor/Management Teamster Health Trust. By the time he “semi-retired,” he had negotiated more labor contracts than anyone else in the San Diego area, earning a reputation as a tough, yet fair negotiator. After he stepped down from SDEA, he still negotiated on behalf of several major employers in the city, including the San Diego Zoo. 

After his first marriage ended, he met Patricia Margaret Lamb. They married on Aug. 17, 1968. Pat was a ticket agent for Pan American Airlines and among the perquisites of that job was the opportunity to fly Pan Am at no cost. Pat and Puff took great advantage of the benefit and traveled frequently. In later years, they divided their time between their home in San Diego and a condo on Kauai in Hawaii. Pat died in 2011. They had no children.

Puff was involved in various community service organizations. He was a lifelong member of the Republican Party and at one time was the treasurer of the San Diego County Republican Central Committee. He was a member and past president of the San Diego Active 20-30 Club, which focused on various initiatives to support children and youth in the city. He was also director of the Youth Services Bureau, director of the National Management Association, served a term as president of the Executive Association of San Diego, and also taught courses in industrial relations at the University of California San Diego.

Puff was devoted to Hamilton. A regular contributor to the Hamilton Fund for more than 40 years, in April 2010 he and Pat established the Thomas and Patricia Puffer Scholarship to support students with financial need. The scholarship reflected his loyalty to the College and his strong belief in the need-blind admission policy the College had just adopted.

In his 50th reunion yearbook, Puff observed: “I continue to marvel at our good fortune to have been blessed with wonderful professors such as ‘Digger’ Graves and Otto Liedke. They were not only teachers, but also our friends. … Without Hamilton, I would never have experienced a lifetime of work that I have thoroughly enjoyed.”

Predeceased by his son, Thomas R. Puffer is survived by his daughter and several grandchildren and great-grandchildren. 

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