The Red and Black

Issue date: 4/27/09 Section: News

Tom Tanner

The family that is Athens' Town & Gown Players lost an uncle, brother, son and father in Tom Tanner.Tanner was the first victim in the shootings on Saturday.

"He was the uncle you wish you had, the brother you'd want to work next to you," said Rick Bedell, Town & Gown member.

Bedell, who played Sherlock Holmes to Tanner's Watson in the troupe's most recent play, said Tanner made the entire production fun.

"He was always ready with a quick joke to make everyone laugh," he said.

According to Town & Gown's Web site, Tanner was quiet, diligent, gentle and creative.

"His heart lived and thrived in the theater," the site said in a tribute.

Tanner was described as witty, caring and even a bit "Kramer-like."

"Tom was eccentric. He was kind of quirky, it's hard to explain. He was strange, but he got along with everybody," said Jeff Chen, two-year member of Town & Gown.

Bedell described Tanner as a helpful, welcoming presence. "I can't say enough about him," he said, adding Tanner was always the first to welcome strangers to the theater family.

Chen reflected this sentiment, saying Tanner would open his home to friends, many from the troupe, every Tuesday for movies and games.

Several of Tanner's friends described him as a genius when it came to set design.

"He could have been in professional theater," Bedell said. Tanner was adept at constructing all kinds of sets, pouring his heart into everything from Town & Gown's most elaborate spectacles to its simplest sets. Bedell said Tanner was always planning ahead and already had ideas for his next set.

"He was going to do the world's biggest pop-up book. He had already checked with the Guinness Book of World Records. When you turned the page, there were going to be things popping out of the stage. That's just the kind of guy he was," Bedell said.

Chen, after taking a moment to collect himself, said his favorite memory of Tanner came when helping his friend build a set. Tanner was struggling with how to create an aspect of the set when Chen suggested a new approach.

According to Chen, "He said, 'You know what, Jeff? That's so simple, it makes more sense. Next time I'm thinking too hard, I'll just come to you and you'll be my muse."

Chen said for members of Town & Gown, the reality of the situation still has not sunk in.

"How in the world somebody could even fathom the thought, plan something like this ... I don't know how long it will take for Town & Gown to recover from this, but I think we will," he said.

"You expect an accident or something like that, but this is unimaginable," Bedell said. "We're going to miss him. I know I certainly will."

- Julie Leung contributed to this article

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