[David D'Arcangelo] Tom has been there every step of the way to answer any and all questions. And you're such a resource and I know so many people in this room value your leadership that you've given over the years. And I would assert that you have probably made more things accessible for more persons with disabilities than maybe anybody else in the Commonwealth.
[Damon Hopkins] In all the years I was a kid in these schools, my father never once got to ever come to any of my events. He never got to come to any of my concerts, anything, because he couldn't get into the building. As a kid, you don't understand that.
[Linda Hopkins] He realized the ADA is a civil rights law. It can only be enforced by a federal suit. So the suit started, and it was long, drawn out, painful. We knew that it affected both of our boys, but we also both knew that it was necessary. It was important.
[Justin Hopkins] Oh, it definitely made me a better person, able to get through just about anything because no excuses. He certainly did.
[Linda Hopkins] He started investing, writing letters and starting to build his case for federal court.
[Damon Hopkins] You know, the hardest years were really running from ‘94 to ‘96 were the roughest years for us during all of this. You know, that was right at the – my high school graduation and Justin going into high school and all these sort of transitions. And it was just a really difficult time.
Oh, it always got worse, always got worse. I mean, between them threatening to burn us out of this building and, you know, there was the FBI here for a while, you know, and I used to have a police escort at times, you know, because it was the way it was. You know it just kind of the way it was.
[Paul Spooner] You know, when you get dragged through the mud like that, you either do one of two things: you either give up or you get better at what you do. And Tom got better at what he did.
[Linda Hopkins] Then he applied for the Compliance Officer’s position at the AAB. It was like a job made just for Tom.
[Paul Spooner] And one of the areas Tom had a great impact was ensuring access compliance with historical buildings without taking away the historical nature of the building.
[Linda Hopkins] So we’re all “TABs.” If you’re not disabled now, you’re Temporarily Able Bodied.
[Damon Hopkins] We had these guys who would go out and help and do a site visit and they would keep notes and take pictures. And he was teaching all these people how to do what he was doing. And I sort of saw a change in him because then it was, he wasn’t alone.
[Kate Sutton] He was a tough guy, but he was never cruel. He was always, did things with intention and purpose and would even like back up and explain things for people if they weren't quite getting it.
[Patricia Mendez] I try to take in, I try to ask him questions and now, after years, when I have like hard, hard questions to think about, I do think, okay, what would Tom say? How would he approach it?
[Jeff Dougan] He was a resource that I went to very frequently to talk about, you know, the codes, and from that a friendship really developed.
[Kate Sutton] I think that just those road trips that we did together were like, are my favorite memories.
[Damon Hopkins] Taught me and my younger brother both an immeasurable amount of tolerance and patience and things and understanding for, you know, things around us that we can't control. People, places, and things you cannot control. That's what my father used to always say to us, and you can only control your reaction to them.
[Justin Hopkins] And every bit of it’s worth it. It definitely taught us to be pretty strong in doing what's right and...No regrets.
[Tom Hopkins] Before I close today, I wanted to mention a few people. My family, obviously has been very supportive. They're not here today because we just had two more grandchildren, twin daughters on Saturday night.
[David D'Arcangelo] Thank you, Tom. Very well-deserved. We appreciate your leadership on AAB and thank you for your advocacy.