Thomas "Tom" Robert Atwood Obituary (1945 - 2006)

Born Apr 18, 1945, Thomas "Tom" Robert Atwood attended Eisenhower High School in Yakima, WA. View the obituary, post a memory, or share a photo about Thomas "tom" Robert Atwood.

Graduation Year	Class of 1963
Date of Birth	Apr 18, 1945
Date of Passing	Aug 17, 2006
About	Thomas R. Atwood, 61, Oak Park resident, died August 17, 2006 at Loyola Medical Center, Maywood, from pancreatic cancer diagnosed only three weeks ago. Born on April 18, 1945 in Yakima, Wash., he attended Eisenhower High School Yakima and graduated in the class of 1963. He received his B.A. in political science from the University of Washington in 1967. He served as an intelligence officer in the U.S. Army from 1967 to 1970, his last assignment at Da Nang, Viet Nam near the DMZ. He then received his M.B.A. from Thunderbird, The Gavin School of International Management, Glendale, Ariz. in 1972. He was president of Ajinomoto Food Ingredients LLC, Chicago and a member of the Corporate Management Committee, Ajinomoto USA Inc. The company sells food ingredients, including Aspartame sweetener, MSG monosodium glutamate and other food additives. He also worked as vice president of Modern Maid Foods in Uniondale, N.Y., and Archer Daniels Midland Company in Decatur. While at ADM, he worked with the United Nations World Food Program. He traveled to India throughout the 1980s, meeting and working with Mother Theresa and her Missionaries of Charity in Calcutta. He was chairman of The Glutamate Association, delegate to the International Glutamate Technical Committee, delegate to the International Glutamate Information Service chairman of the 2006 International Glutamate Technical Committee meeting and member of International Food Technologists. Survivors include Leslie C. Atwood, whom he married in 1972, and children, both attorneys, Emily R. Atwood of Oak Park and Evan B. Atwood of Geneva, and his brother Peter (Margaret) Atwood of Poulsbo, WA. Memorials may be made to Grace Episcopal Church in Oak Park.