Life Aloft

Back when he was first learning to fly an airplane, Tom Gompf found himself applying terms from his beloved sport of diving to the maneuvers he was mastering. The line began blurring between the two disciplines, and he realized being a pilot and being a diver had an awful lot in common. Both were forms of flying.

Being airborne, aloft, free of the bonds of gravity-that, for Tom, has always been the stuff of life. As an Air Force officer serving in the Vietnam War and a commercial airline pilot for 30 years, Tom knows his way around an airplane. And, as a champion diver who earned the bronze medal in the 10-meter platform diving event at the 1964 Olympics, Tom has found numerous ways to soar physically.

A devoted husband, father, friend, and mentor, Tom's ongoing work in support of Olympic divers through endless hours of volunteer service and as the "father of synchronized diving" has certainly left an enduring legacy that's increased opportunities for others to fly, too.

In all things, Tom has sought to climb up to the next rung, offering a hand up to those around him as he's crept skyward in his lifelong pursuit of high flight. In "A Life Aloft," Tom reflects back on what he's learned from pushing himself and the sport of diving to ever greater heights.