| Bio | Thomas Gale Earp passed away peacefully on March 3, 2021 at the Healthcare Resort of Kansas City. Tom was born in Kansas City, Missouri, on March 7, 1942 to Chester and Lucille Earp. He was raised in Independence, Missouri, and graduated from Van Horn High School in 1960. Tom attended courses at Northwest Missouri State University before transferring to Kansas State College of Pittsburg (now known as Pittsburg State University). It was at Pitt State that Tom made a lasting difference to many young men for generations thereafter. He was the founder of the local Beta Chi fraternity in 1965. He led the effort to affiliate with a national fraternity, settling on Lambda Chi Alpha, which approved Beta Chi as a colony of the Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity. Tom graduated from Pitt State in 1967, but his dream lived on as the colony became a full-fledged chapter of Lambda Chi Alpha in 1969.
Tom’s professional life was quite varied. As a youth, he became an Eagle Scout. He worked in liquor sales, owned his own liquor business, ran for public office, served as a deputy Wyandotte County sheriff and later owned his own tobacco shop. In his prime, he was an avid golfer and skier. He was a devout Mason for over 44 years.
However, his greatest achievement was the creation of the fraternity at Pittsburg State. It is vibrant and strong today, some 56 years after he conceived the idea of forming Beta Chi. In those years, the fraternity has had a great influence on the development of over 700 young men. Everyone referred to him as “Numeral Uno”.
Tom was predeceased by his mother and father. He is survived by his brother, Steve, and many men, both young and old, who call him their brother!!
Services will be held at the Highland Park Funeral Home located in Kansas City, Kansas, with visitation to begin at 1:00pm, memorial service at 2:00pm with burial to follow at the Highland Park Cemetery. Tom requested that in lieu of flowers donations be made to the Pittsburg State University Foundation, Inc., designated for the Thomas G. Earp Memorial Scholarship Fund which will benefit active members of Lambda Chi Alpha that are studying at Pitt State.
Donations can be made to Pittsburg State University Foundation, Inc., P. O. Box 4005, Pittsburg, Kansas 66762 or through www.pittstate.edu/give
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