1892 - 1987

In 1921, Thomas F. Ellerbe became the leader of Ellerbe & Company at the age of 28, when his father died unexpectedly. He presided over the firm for nearly half a century. During those years he tirelessly expanded and grew the practice, becoming one of the nation's most respected leaders in medical, education, and corporate architecture and engineering.

Tom worked alongside the physicians of Mayo Clinic to understand how to design a building that best served patients and doctors. As a young man, he was involved with bringing electricity to rural areas, helped develop planned residential communities, and supported organizations that believed in cooperative values. In 1978 he was honored with the Hall of Fame award from The Cooperative Foundation, an organization that he co-founded in 1945. Tom believed that the firm's success was due to his dedicated, hard-working staff, so when he was ready to step down in 1966, he bestowed the ownership of Ellerbe Architects, Inc. on his employees.

At the age of 94, Tom spent the second-to-last day of his life meeting officials about the restoration of Memorial Hall at the Saint Paul City Hall and Ramsey County Courthouse. Days later, hundreds gathered in Memorial Hall at the statue of the God of Peace to honor him. George Latimer, former Mayor of Saint Paul said, "A great city is composed of many ordinary people who together do extraordinary things, but today we honor someone who was not ordinary. He was an uncommon man." Latimer commented that Ellerbe had fulfilled an oath once taken by the city leaders of ancient Greece, who promised to leave their cities "more beautiful, more good, and more just than they had found them." Tom, who worked with Swedish sculptor Carl Milles to create the God of Peace statue in 1932, hoped that it would become a symbol to the world for peace.

Tom was married to Eleanor Koehler for nearly 70 years. His son, Thomas Jr., described his father as "a man who lived life to the hilt." He enjoyed boating on the St. Croix River, riding horses, dining on gourmet food and entertaining.