# data[].attributes.body
Around 1900, Thomas's grandfather was forced to leave his home country of Italy, under threat of imprisonment.

# data[].attributes.body
In November of 1940, Thomas Funk was born in Akron, Ohio, to a second-generation Italian immigrant mother and an American father. He was the first born child in his family.

# data[].attributes.body
Thomas' father was drafted to fight in WWII, and as such, he was not around for the beginning of his life. This had huge implications on Thomas' life, as he had a rocky relationship with his father.

# data[].attributes.body
In 1950, the United States became involved in the conflict between Communist and non-Communist forces in the Korean peninsula. Thomas recalls doing atomic bomb drills in school, where students would hide under their desks in the event of a nuclear explosion.

# data[].attributes.body
After graduating high school, Thomas attended the University of Akron on a football scholarship. Here, he chose to pursue civil engineering, but later changed his focus to psychology. Due to an injury, Thomas was forced to quit football and work in a rubber shop to pay his way through school. Eventually, he was hired by an engineering firm and began work there.

# data[].attributes.body
Thomas was in college during the Vietnam War, a very tumultuous time in American history. With many protests taking place on college campuses across the country, Thomas had a front row seat to what is arguably the greatest counterculture movement in American history.

# data[].attributes.body
During this time, the Civil Rights Movement was in full swing. This movement aimed to abolish racial segregation and end discrimination, primarily against African Americans.

# data[].attributes.body
On August 17th, 1969, Thomas and his wife Judith welcomed their fourth child, my father, Michael.

# data[].attributes.body
In 1972, the news broke that President Nixon had illegally wiretapped the headquarters of the Democratic National Committee in an effort to aid his reelection. This led to his resignation in 1974. This had huge ramifications, as trust in the American government was shaken nationwide.

# data[].attributes.body
After years of working in engineering, Thomas eventually quit his job at the firm and got his realtor license. From here, he opened up his own real estate business.