Tom Zych

Thomas E. Zych (January 24, 1940 – November 11, 2023) was an American politician and minister. He was a Democrat from St. Louis, Missouri, serving in the Missouri House of Representatives,^[1] and later as President of the St. Louis Board of Aldermen.

Biography

Thomas E. Zych was born on January 24, 1940.^[1] He was educated at St. Mary's High School in St. Louis and attended Southeast Missouri State University. He graduated from Washington University in St. Louis with a degree in secondary education.

In 1974, he was elected to the Missouri House of Representatives from District 100.^[1] In the 1980s, he served two terms as President of the St. Louis Board of Aldermen. Starting in 1984, Zych faced charges, of which he was later acquitted, that he and five others had defrauded the city of St. Louis in their attempts to get a franchise for cable television in 1983.^{[2][3][4][5][6]} The others involved in the legal case included Sorkis Webbe Jr., an alderman in the 7th Ward; Sorkis Webbe Sr., a powerful St. Louis politician; LeRoy Tyus, a politician and democratic committee leader; James D. Cullen, Jr. a lawyer; and Eugene P. Slay, a businessman.^[5] He did not run for the office in 1987.

In 1989, Zych became a Methodist minister, subsequently serving two Bootheel congregations. In 2005, he became an employee of Recreation Division of the St. Louis Department of Parks^[2] He later became the director of the Cherokee Recreation Center in Benton Park, St. Louis.^[7]

Zych died on November 11, 2023, at the age of 83.^[8]

References

1. Official Manual, State of Missouri. Missouri Office of the Secretary of State. Secretary of State. 1977. p. 145.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
2. Murphy, Matthew (December 21, 2005 – January 3, 2006). "THE RETURN OF TOM ZYCH; Former Aldermanic Pres Takes City Job" (PDF). Arch City Chronicle. 4 (4). St. Louis, MO, US: Nextflood Pub: 1, 5. ISSN 1544-7936. OCLC 52259805. Retrieved May 7, 2011.
3. Sorkin, Michael D. (April 4, 2011). "Gene Slay, political powerhouse and businessman, dies at 83". St. Louis, MO, US: STLtoday.com. Retrieved May 7, 2011.
4. "UNITED STATES of America, Appellee, v. Eugene SLAY, Appellant. UNITED STATES of America, Appellee, v. Leroy TYUS, Appellant. UNITED STATES of America, Appellee, v. James CULLEN, Appellant. UNITED STATES of America, Appellant, v. Eugene SLAY, Leroy Tyus, and James Cullen, Appellees". The Federal Reporter. 2. 858. Sebastopol, CA: Public.Resource.Org: 858 F.2d 1310. December 30, 1988. OCLC 7809840. Retrieved May 7, 2011.
5. "Zych, 5 Others Indicted In Cable Case". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. November 9, 1984. Retrieved 2023-04-18 – via Newspapers.com. pp. 1, 3
6. Holleman, Joe (November 9, 2017). "Sorkis Webbe Jr. still Democratic young blood". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Retrieved 2023-04-19 – via Newspapers.com.
7. Ormiston, Gale (April 14, 2011). "Cherokee Recreation Center". The official site of the Benton Park Neighborhood in St. Louis, MO. St. Louis, MO, US: Todd Brandt. Retrieved May 7, 2011.
8. Tom Zych, former St. Louis politician turned minister, dies at 83