By Danny McCarthy
Former Southold Town Councilman Thomas H. Wickham was Southold Supervisor from 1994-1995. Let’s take a bit of a glimpse of information about Thomas H. Wickham.
He Was Quite Studious. The Cutchogue column by Mrs. E. Billard that appeared in the June 18,.1953 The Long Island Traveler-Mattituck Watchman had some salute: That time of year, Thomas Wickham was Salutatorian in Cutchogue.
The January 15, 1959 The Long Island Traveler-Mattituck Watchman reported that “Thomas H. Wickham, of Cutchogue, a sophomore in the New York State College of Agriculture at Cornell University, has been awarded a $400 Hudson H. Lyon Memorial Scholarship. He was chosen on the basis of his preparation for Protestant Christian missionary service.”
At that time, in 1959, Thomas H. Wickham was “enrolled in the {five-year} course leading to a degree in agricultural engineering. The curriculum mainly includes farm equipment design and food processing.”
That January 15, 1959 article says that he was “A member of the American Society of Agricultural Engineers, {that} he is on the track team, and {that he} sings with the Savoyards, a Gilbert and Sullivan operatic group.”
Now Get This! …
That January 15, 1959 article continues: “He spends a great deal of time working with the Forest Home Chapel in Ithaca, where he is a youth counselor and Sunday school teacher. He also enjoys playing the piano in church. {He} graduated from Westtown Prep School in Pennsylvania. His father owns and operates a {200-acre} potato farm in Cutchogue.
{Here’s something of note, too!}: “Agricultural engineering is one of more than forty fields of specialization available in the College of Agriculture.”
Church-Related Uplifting Engagement
The September 16, 1965 The Long Island Traveler-Mattituck Watchman was specific enough to include this item about the Cutchogue Presbyterian Church: Family Night was to be held at the Cutchogue Presbyterian Church on September 30 {1965}. “Thomas Wickham, son of Mr. and Mrs. John Wickham, {was to be the speaker}. He has recently returned to this country following two and a half years spent in Cambodia and South Vietnam under the auspices of the International Voluntary Services.”
Thomas Wickham is discussed further in the September 16, 1965 column: “The nature of his work brought Tom in close contact with the native, non-military population, and the observations will afford all those in attendance at the Family Night new insights into the puzzling situation which confronts us as citizens of a nation so closely and dangerously involved in the life of southeast Asia.”
Let’s Just Clarify Something …
We get reminded in the March 17, 1966 The Long Island Traveler-Mattituck Watchman that Tom Wickham “helped introduce improved agricultural methods to farmers,” having done so in Cambodia and Vietnam.
Genealogically Speaking …
The December 16, 1971 The Islip Bulletin shared that there was a Captain Thomas Wickham, who was “a Revolutionary {War} hero and {was also a} member of the Colonial Congress.” {This goes to show how the Southold Supervisor Thomas H. Wickham has ancestry from earlier times in history!)
Let’s Make Something Clear …
The January 6, 1972 The Long Island Traveler-Mattituck Watchman said that Tom Wickham was scheduled to give an illustrated talk on the IRRI at Custer Institute. “The International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) was established {some time} ago with the aim of developing a more productive strain of rice and its culture to better feed the hungry hordes of Asians whose traditional diet is rice. It is a joint venture of the Ford and Rockefeller Foundations, now aided some Asian beneficiary nations, and has been highly successful. Mr. Wickham has been in the midst of it.”
Here’s an Update …
The September 5, 1974 The Long Island Traveler-Mattituck Watchman stated that the Cutchogue Wickham farm property had been planted some 300 years prior to the date of that issue. That article continues: “The young Cornell educated agricultural-engineer {Thomas Wickham} returned last week with his Singaporean wife, Gekee, after a {two} and a half year tour of duty with the Irri {the International Rice Research Institute}.
Here’s something that is definitely not that far from a missing link. This carries the September 5, 1974 The Long Island Traveler-Mattituck Watchman page that features the story about Thomas Wickham and his wife Gekee:
http://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/lccn/sn84031433/1974-09-05/ed-1/seq-12/#date1=01%2F01%2F1900&sort=relevance&date2=12%2F31%2F2017&words=Thomas+Wickham&to_year2=2017&searchType=advanced&sequence=0&index=3&from_year2=1900&proxdistance=&page=3&county=Suffolk&rows=20&ortext=&proxtext=&phrasetext=Thomas+Wickham&andtext=&dateFilterType=range&SearchType2=phrase
The April 17, 1975 The Long Island Traveler-Mattituck Watchman reported that there was a topic held on World Hunger at the Cutchogue Presbyterian Church. Guess who the speaker was? Dr. Thomas Wickham. At that time, he was “Associate Economist with the International Rice Research Institute in the Philippines {doing research on the feeding of underdeveloped countries} He was “home {in Cutchogue} for a {one-year} leave of absence.”
That April 17, 1975 article continues: “His field of work is agricultural economic analysis of food production in Asia with emphasis on water and irrigation.” It was rightfully noted that he “first went to Asia 14 years ago with the International Voluntary Services and spent three years in Cambodia and South Vietnam.” Dr. Wickham showed “a slide presentation {to} show the point of view of the developing countries,” and he added to the slide presentation by narration as well as answering all questions.
Now Here’s Something …
I was so pleased to be able to interview Tom Wickham about the Wickham Fruit Farm and the greenhouse he now has on the property. You see, that greenhouse comes from the former Orient Halyoake Farm. I titled it Let’s Keep It in the Family! ~ Thanks a Lot! I thought to place a copy of the article here for you along with accompanying captions and photos:
- The Cutchogue Wickham's Fruit Farm - | North Fork, NY Patch
