He seemed to know nearly everything about Florida Keys history — military, politics, influences, events, economics and, yes, scandals. And if historian Tom Hambright didn’t know the answer, he knew where to find it, typically somewhere in a filing cabinet of newspaper archives on microfilm or the temperature-controlled vault at the Key West Library that holds countless cartons of Keys history.
Hambright died Oct. 14 at the age of 85, less than two years after he retired from his 36-year career as Monroe County’s lead historian.
“Tom will be missed terribly, and his death leaves a big hole, but he has also left so much for us to appreciate, learn from and build upon,” said Corey Malcom, Hambright’s successor as lead historian in Monroe County Library’s Florida History Center. “We understand the Florida Keys, and how our island communities came to be, much better because of him. Tom may be gone, but he is unforgettable.”
The Monroe County Library published a comprehensive obituary at keyslibraries.org. Portions of it appear below, with additional comments compiled by the Keys Weekly
Thomas Leroy Hambright was born Feb. 23, 1938, in Mooresville, North Carolina and graduated in 1960 from Appalachian State Teachers College in Boone, North Carolina. He had planned to be a history teacher, but instead served 21 years in the U.S. Navy, including multiple tours in Key West.
He retired from the military in 1981 and returned to Key West, where he took computer classes at Florida Keys Community College (now the College of the Florida Keys) and went to work for the Key West Art & Historical Society as a curator for three years.
Library legacy & worldwide reach
In 1985, Hambright joined the Monroe County Public Library’s Florida History department, where he continued and expanded the work of Betty Bruce, researching Conch genealogy and greatly expanding the library’s collection of historical documents, newspapers, photos, books, diaries and more. He answered endless questions from journalists, homeowners, artists, researchers, historians, authors, realtors and more.
Though a popular public speaker, Hambright’s widest reach was online, where the Florida Keys History Center’s image archive on Flickr has been viewed more than 43 million times.
Hambright led a team of volunteers who made high-resolution scans, identified them, dated them and uploaded them — more than 23,000 images and counting. They’re now freely available for viewing and downloading, while the digital collection continues to grow daily.
“…As I began my own career in maritime and local history, no phone call went ignored; no question went unanswered, even if that meant hours of digging through primary source materials on microfilm or in Florida History’s vault. Tom’s reverence and passion for local and maritime history seemed part of his genetic code. His eagerness to read everything, commit it to his eidetic memory, and share it in a cohesive and absorbing manner set him apart from all others. For years everyone said, ‘Tom is irreplaceable, What will we do without Tom?’ We will carry on his good work, but it is difficult to imagine him not being on the other end of the phone to assist.” — Cori Convertito, curator & historian, Key West Art & Historical Society.
“Tom and I served in Vietnam at the same time in 1965 and 1966. He had a tough assignment as the only American serving on a Vietnamese river junk boat and the only Naval officer in highly dangerous areas. He was awarded the Bronze Star with Combat V.” (Combat V honors those “exposed to personal hazard during direct participation in combat operations,” according to the Navy.)
“He was a gentle, quiet man with a big heart and an exceptional knowledge of Key West who will be greatly missed.” — Bill Verge, former Key West city commissioner and current director of U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Mohawk floating museum.
“A great joy of my 23 years working with Tom was him peeking in my office door frequently to announce, ‘We’ve got treasure.’ I would proceed directly to the History Room, where Tom would delightedly explain a new donation. He didn’t just love history, he loved sharing history.” — Anne Layton Rice, assistant library director for support services
“Endlessly fascinated by the history of Key West and the Florida Keys, Tom was inspired by Paul Harvey’s phrase ‘The Rest of the Story.’ He loved to uncover the deeper, little-known backstories. The Florida Keys History Center itself is Tom’s largest legacy. For over 35 years he worked to build an important archive for Monroe County that now houses documents, photographs and public records from the past.” — Corey Malcom, lead historian at the library’s Florida History Center.
