Thomas M. H. Kappner, 78, passed away on Friday September 16, 2022. Tom was born in Shanghai, China, where his father had fled from Nazi Germany. The family moved to Latin America, and Tom grew up living in Argentina, Chile, Peru, Brazil and Mexico. He spoke English, Spanish, German and Portuguese. 

Tom came to the United States to complete high school, and remained to complete a bachelor’s degree at Columbia University, and a master’s degree and Ph.D. at the City University of New York. Tom became a college professor of Political Science and Latin American Affairs, teaching at the City University of New York, Rutgers University, Adelphi University and Bard College. During the 1980s, he also worked with the United Nations Development Program.

Tom’s lifelong commitment to social justice was visible early on, when in 1964 as an undergraduate, he worked on a voter registration campaign in Fayette County, TN, home to an infamous tent city.

Also, while still an undergraduate, he met and married Augusta (Gussie) Souza. They remained happily married until his death 57 years later. They raised two daughters, Tania and Diana, and had two grandchildren, Amber and Aiden, and one great-grandson, Ari. Tom is also survived by his sisters Angela and Patricia, and his sons-in-law Kenneth and Alexander. In addition to his own children, Tom is remembered fondly by many now-grown children of friends, for his love of the outdoors, and his love of fun, games and humor.

Tom and Gussie came to Kenoza Lake in 1978, where through their many wonderful neighbors on and around Swiss Hill Road North, they fell in love with the community and became avid gardeners. Tom served on the Agricultural Working Group, which assisted in updating the Sullivan County Agricultural and Farmland Protection Plan. For two years, he chaired the Agricultural Task Force, which was instrumental in creating the position of coordinator for agriculture and business retention and expansion within Cornell Cooperative Extension. 

Tom became a regular attendee at the Agriculture and Sustainability committee of the Sullivan County Legislature, and for many years braved even the worst winter nights to attend the meetings of the Delaware Town Board. 

When WJFF was created, Tom was an early volunteer, opening the station in the wee hours of the morning and conceiving (in October 1990) and creating the original Community Voices program. 

In his New York City community, Tom worked long and hard to protect and increase affordable housing. In the 1970s, he founded and chaired the 121st-122nd Streets Block Association. In the 1980s, he was active with the Morningside Tenants Federation. In the 1990s, he chaired a Columbia University Community Advisory Committee, and was one of the founding members of the Coalition to Preserve Community. 

In recent years, he co-authored a resolution, adopted by both the Morningside Heights Community Coalition and Community Board 9, asking that Columbia University’s rent-regulated apartments remain as permanent housing stock for low- and moderate-income people. Tom was also a founding member of the recently created Morningside Heights JUST Housing Committee. He was always the first to arrive on ZOOM.

To any place that he regarded as home, Tom brought his commitment to social justice, an active engagement with local community needs, and a strong moral compass about what is right and fair. He made a difference and will be missed by many.