Thursday, May 10, 2007
Tom Van Holt
Year: 1985
Hometown: Rochester, N.Y.
Degree: Political Science
Back in the day: After two years at Allegheny College in Meadville, Penn., Tom Van Holt took a year off to bike across the United States. He was so impressed by Kansans and their way of life that he transferred to the University of Kansas for his last two years of school. While at the University, he served as a Resident Assistant in McCollum Hall, where he started a book-exchange program to help students avoid bookstore “rip-offs,” but the local bookstore shut him down, he says.
The grad life: Van Holt turned down a chance to work with the KU city management program because he didn’t know what he wanted to do with his life. Instead, he set off to find his way. Van Holt lived in California with his family, traveled to India, attended the University of Oregon, worked in Alaskan fisheries, worked as the director of Grace Pearson Scholarship Hall at the University, taught English in Thailand and joined the Army Special Forces during the Gulf War.
In 1995, he was trimming trees, moving furniture and doing other odd jobs in Lawrence between his travels. Moving was the most lucrative, he says, so he started Starving Artists Moving, 945 Illinois St. The name wasn’t a gimmick, he says — he and his friends were actually poor and many of them were artists. The same year his first book, Alaska Passage, was published. In 1999, he wrote his second book, Stargazing: What to Look for in the Night Sky.
Today: On Dec. 26, 2004, Van Holt was snorkeling 40 miles off the shore of Thailand when the Asian tsunami hit. The tsunami lasted two-and-a-half hours and threatened the lives of members of his snorkeling group. When he returned to Lawrence, Van Holt started a relief fund to help victims of the tsunami and he has been back to Thailand four times since then to help.
Van Holt has visited more than 20 foreign countries, and with approximately three months of the year off and a better-than-average salary, he continues to travel and take on service projects like helping victims of hurricanes Katrina and Rita. He has pledged all of the growth in his business to charity.
He says: Van Holt says he’s always loved Kansas, ever since he biked through the state over 20 years ago. Although he doesn’t agree with the state’s politics, he says Kansas isn’t inferior to the coasts like a lot of people think. “Life is easy in Kansas,” he says. People here can make a living without constantly scrambling to get by, it’s less crowded and it’s a great place to work on his books, he says. He is now writing a book on his experience surviving the tsunami in Thailand.
Student decides to help tsunami victims over ...
Student opts for a more helpful Spring Break in Japan.
Student aids tsunami victims
Grad Check
See what's happened to '99 grad, Kendall Day, since he was a ...
Grad Check
What's happened to Kathy Daneman since she graduated?
Grad Check
Check out what's been happening to David Harold since he graduated
Bookstores battle back-to-school theft
Bookstores on and off campus are finding ways to decrease the amount ...
Grad check
See how KU grads are doing outside campus
Grad check
See what's happened to William Adams since he graduated...
Know your Student Senate candidates
Learn more about the candidates for Student Senate
Textbook rental could soon be an option
Professors and students look to start a rental program to make textbooks ...
Bookstore opens for buyback season
Beat The Bookstore will sell nothing but textbooks. The business owners say ...
Bridging the Post-Grad Gap
Not sure where life is leading you after graduation? A gap year ...
Grad Check
Motorcycle accident victim remembered
Josh Skipton, a former University student, died in a motorcycle accident on ...
Stitches in Britches
The Art of Masculi-knit-ty
Tour of Lawrence shows strength of biking ...
Hundreds come out over the weekend to watch and compete in three-day ...
Grad Check
What's happened to Paul Rudd since he attended KU?
A Two Wheeled World: The Life of ...
Local and professional riders explore the laws of gravity.
One Man's Trash
Moving out? Don’t throw unwanted items away — donate them to a ...
Harry Potter Rocks
The Boy who Lived lives on, thanks to local wizard rockers.
My Name Is Jason
Geared for change
Subversive cyclists want a piece of the street and to change your ...
Few professors aware of textbook royalty policy
An obscure University policy reaffirms professors’ practice of donating royalties from textbooks ...
Grad Check
See what's up with graduate Rich Younger.
Van Slyke begins major league career
Book examines life of basketball inventor
Authors to sign copies, talk about work in Union bookstore.
Students look for textbook alternatives
The dampening economy provides incentives to look for the best deals, in ...
The sincerest form of flattery
Find out how the musically inclined pay homage to legendary, and sometimes ...
The Other Two
Twenty-three students at KU who don’t hail from the lower 48 states
Editorial: Textbook program shows potential
Faculty and administration should work to implement textbook rental program.
Saddle Up
Lawrence is Kansas’ premier spot for two-wheeled, off-road adventures
Motorcyclists remember life of fellow rider
Friends of Josh Skipton, who was killed in a a motorcycle accident, ...
Grad Check
What's happened to Emilee Katzer since she graduated?
A strong foundation: Campus architect builds legacy
After a 63-year career, Warren Corman, University Architect, will retire on Thursday.
Traveling exhibit showcases book design
It’s not just about the words on the page, but the design ...
I’m with the band
Mac gains popularity on campus
KU Bookstores have seen a recent boom in Mac sales.
A conversation with Mandy Patinkin
Grad check
Each year, students make the legendary walk through the Campanile, down The ...
Professor Profile: Sarah Crawford-Parker
A few questions with Sarah Crawford-Parker.
From left: Kimberlee Hinkle, Libby Johnson and Hannah ...
1 comment
Kansas Jayhawk fans hold aloft a reproduction of ...
2 comments
Erin Saupe, a Ph.D. student from St. Cloud, ...
1 comment
0 comments
Armed robbers continue to threaten.
3 comments
Lecture from Greg Mortenson, co-author of New York ...
0 comments
Comments
Use the comment form below to begin a discussion about this content.
Sign in to comment
Or login with:
OpenID