Tom Brewer ’94 Honors Officer Amy Caprio ’10

Ever since he was a young boy, Tom Brewer ’94 dreamed of working in law enforcement. Unfortunately, poor vision in his left eye derailed that dream. Seven years after graduating high school, Tom started college, first at Frederick Community College and then at TU as a commuting student. “I didn’t take the traditional route,” he says. Originally a criminal justice major, he switched to mass communications, with a concentration in TV and film. Following graduation, the job search was tough. “I had trouble landing a job in my field of study,” says Tom. “I began working with adjudicated youth at a facility in Sabillasville, MD and then moved on to audio-visual and project management work at FEMA in Emmitsburg.”

25 years after Tom left TU, Officer Amy Caprio ’10 was killed in the line of duty. The tragic story caught Tom’s attention. “Her death had a major impact on me,” he says. “The way she died—I wanted to do something positive to remember her life.” That desire led him to the Amy Sorrells Caprio Scholarship Endowment. Tom’s $10,000 gift to the scholarship is the largest individual gift made to date.

Tom’s love for TU runs deep. “TU helped me have a successful career. Without TU I never would have had the opportunities I had.” Although Tom didn’t fulfill his dream of being a police officer, his generosity will ensure that the life of Officer Caprio will never be forgotten and that TU students who are, or have been, first responders (police, firefighter, emergency medical technician or paramedic) benefit from the Caprio scholarship.