Melissa Bailey Photo
Hillhouse High School lost a beloved mentor and longtime coach Sunday evening, when Tom Fleming died after a swift battle with cancer.
Fleming (pictured), who turned 61 on Saturday, worked at James Hillhouse High School for 17 years, right up until two weeks ago. He is best known for serving as the Academics’ head basketball coach from 1994 to 2003; he recently took on the role of head dean of students.
He passed away around 6 p.m. Sunday after suffering cardiac arrest, according to Hillhouse Principal Kermit Carolina. Fleming had recently undergone surgery for cancer in his stomach, Carolina said.
Fleming’s death deals a blow to the Hillhouse community.
“Mr. Fleming was a highly principled man who always carried himself with great dignity, pride and strength,” Carolina said.
“He was a father figure and mentor to every student who crossed his path and was deeply loved by our Hillhouse staff.”
Carolina worked beside Fleming as his assistant basketball coach for five years. Carolina succeeded Fleming as head coach in 2003, when Fleming left the job to take on an administrative role at the school.
“He was my mentor the entire time,” Carolina said. “Especially in difficult times, I confided in him. One of the most valuable lessons he taught me was to always stay focused on the true goal of making our young boys into responsible and confident young men who would one day become husbands and fathers.”
Michelle Edmonds-Sepulveda, a former alderwoman, worked with Fleming in her job as a truancy officer at Hillhouse. She said he cared about “everyone and everybody.”
“Mr. Fleming was always a gentleman. He taught me so much. He helped me out with my truancy,” and he continued to be an avid Hillhouse basketball fan long after he retired as coach. “He was like a walking basketball archivist.”
The school set up a room Monday where students and staff can seek grief counseling, Edmonds-Sepulveda said. Many students wore black Monday in his honor, she said.
Tom Fleming, Jaime Ramos and Dee Speese-Linehan arrive in Baltimore on Jan. 6.
Fleming is pictured here and at the top of this story rolling a suitcase up the steps to Baltimore’s Board of Education headquarters. Just last month, he joined three New Haven school officials on a fact-finding mission to see how the city was reaching out to dropouts. Throughout over 20 hours of meetings packed into a two-day visit, he retained unflagging curiosity and energy and was quick to break into a smile.
He spoke with pride about Hillhouse’s new after-school credit recovery program and his new role supervising a new crew of deans assigned to the school’s new small learning communities.
He exuded love for his job and for his students. After a long day of meetings in Baltimore, he stayed up late into the night comparing notes with Jaime Ramos, an assistant principal at Wilbur Cross, on reforms under way at the city’s two biggest high schools.
Fleming lived in East Haven with his wife, Alba. He had three children.
He “worked tirelessly through his many charitable events and activities to make sure that every student had the opportunity to attend an institution of higher learning,” Principal Carolina said.
“He will always be remembered for his uncompromising commitment to the children of the city.”
Coach Fleming had a profoundly positive impact on my life, like all the lives he touched. As a mother I will be eternally grateful for him becoming the basketball coach in 1994 when my son attended Hillhouse. As a person going forward he never wavered in his incredible dedication. He maintained a dignified and heartfelt bright energy that was always focused on the goals he shared for our youth, their families, his friends and all people. Plus he was fun and a great competitor. You live in our hearts.