| TDT
S20 links |
Other seasons:
|
| Survivor
links |
|
| General
TDT links |
|
|
| Contestant-related press and rumors |
January, 2005: Tom's official CBS bio for
the Survivor: Palau season:
"Born in Queens, New York, Tom Westman attended Archbishop
Molloy High School, where he was a peer group counselor and
member of the track team. In 1982, he held the school record
in the pole vault, 14' 6'', which held for 20 years. He then
studied history for three years at the State University of
New York in Binghamton. In 1985, Westman followed his father's
footsteps and joined the New York City Fire Department. He
is currently a Lieutenant of Ladder Company 108 in Brooklyn.
Simultaneously, he is finishing his undergraduate degree at
Queens College, the City University of New York, pursuing a
Bachelor of Arts degree in history.
Westman enjoys sailing,
skiing, scuba diving, golfing and cooking. He is most happy
spending time with his family and friends. He describes himself
as gregarious, practical and competitive. He is most proud
of his department's response to the rescue efforts of September
11, 2001, and the everyday efforts to help alleviate the suffering
in New York City. His hero is his daughter, Meghan, who lost
her hearing to meningitis at 18 months old and, after receiving
a cochlear implant at 2 years old, is currently mainstreamed
and thriving in the third grade.
Westman is a member of the Uniformed Fire Officers
Association and the Fire Department of New York Emerald Society.
He was also a member of the Alexander Graham Bell Association
for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing. Having been recognized for
his support by Disabled Sports, USA, in 2001, Westman has returned
every year since to volunteer as an instructor where he helps
introduce recently disabled veterans to adaptive skiing.
Westman
currently resides in Sayville, New York with his wife, Bernadette,
and their three children, Meghan (8), Declan (6) and Conor
(4). They have one golden retriever, Guinness. Westman's birth
date is January 4, 1964."
|
January 26, 2005: Jeff
Probst's pre-game comments on
the contestants, from the official CBS
site.
"Tom is
a salt-of-the-earth guy, you know, a father, a firefighter.
There's no chance of this guy being a villain. You hope
he lasts long enough in the game to be a hero. And if he
does last for a while, he's the kind of guy that could
win it. Because people are gonna look at him and say, "You
know what, why not him?" He, he's uh, everything about
him is good."
|
December 17, 2004: Name revealed by "Anonymous" on
the Survivornews.net S10 Contestant Confirmator.
|
December, 2001: Took
part in the Disabled Sports USA 14th Annual Ski Spectacular:
"One dad, second-generation New York City firefighter
Lt. Tom Westman of Engine Company 261, Ladder 116, was so enthusiastic
about DS/USA's ski invitation that he was asked to discuss
his family's reaction at the closing banquet.
Tom related that his wife Bernadette, an occasional skier, had broken
her leg while skiing the year before and wasn't planning on hitting the Breckenridge
slopes. Once there, she saw the genuine delight skiing was bringing to kids and
adults with far more disabling conditions, and 'She didn't have any excuses any
more,' he laughed.
What particularly thrilled the Westmans was seeing their daughter
Meghan and her younger brother Declan, age three and a half, taking off from
the top of the mountain only three days after their first ski lessons.
'Meghan is just beginning to realize that she has something of a
disability. It was great for her to be around other people who are overcoming
their own disabilities and enjoying life wholeheartedly,' he added."
- See also: Broomfield
News
- See also: The O&P
Edge (for the 2003 edition of the event).
|
October 20, 2001: Photographed
hobnobbing with celebrities such as Harrison Ford, Richard
Gere and Gina Gershon at Madison Square Gardens in New York
City.
|
|
