It meant a lot of time spent after school watching lawyers and judges at work, which left a lasting desire to go into the legal profession. Equels started walking home each day with a disabled family friend who ran the concession stand at the courthouse. The school was adjacent to the county courthouse. From there he went on to law school at Florida State University, where he was awarded a Juris Doctor with high honors.īecoming a lawyer was the second of Equels’ childhood dreams, inspired by spending time after school inside the courthouse as a student in Junior High. I thank TROY for that.”Įquels graduated from TROY with a Bachelor of Science, summa cum laude, in 1975 and quickly followed that with a Master’s in Criminal Justice in 1976, also from TROY. I fought in Vietnam with a Cobra gunship, but I knew that in order to make the America I came back to a better place, I needed an education to make a difference. Discrimination based on race, gender and religion was still widespread in both these states at that time. “I was from Florida and after returning from Vietnam I was stationed in Alabama. after the war, Equels said he was struck by the racial and social inequality he saw at home. Today, Equels sees his service in Vietnam as formative of the value system he would take with him into his later work as a lawyer. Twice Equels was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for heroism during combat, including laying down fire to support the rescue of trapped soldiers while his helicopter was riddled with enemy fire. His service in Vietnam was marked by incredible acts of bravery. Army.īy the time Equels was 19, he was flying daily combat missions in a Cobra gunship. My mother was apoplectic, but I promised her that when I got back from Vietnam I would get a university degree. Without talking to my parents, I took the test and passed. “If you could pass a flight aptitude test, you could come into right out of high school. “My senior year, the Army sent out these pilot recruiters and they did a presentation,” he said. But he had wanted to be a pilot since the first time he saw a P-51 Mustang as a child, and when the Army sent pilot recruiters to his high school, Equels saw the path to make his dream a reality. The classes were small so there was a lot of personal attention.”Įarning a college degree fulfilled a promise to his mother, who was somewhat dismayed to see Equels forego college scholarships to head to the Army straight out of high school. Also, I had some great teachers from the main campus. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have been able to do it with my full-time work schedule as an IP.
“I picked TROY because it was so convenient,” Equels said. After returning from Vietnam in 1973 he became a helicopter instructor pilot and also enrolled at TROY to pursue a college degree. “We change society one small step at a time, so long as we always move forward in our march for social justice.”Įquels attended then-Troy State University while stationed at Fort Rucker (now known as Fort Novosel). “All of us can make a difference every day by being who we are and speaking our truth,” Equels said. But through it all, his work has been united around an unwavering belief that a commitment to justice can change the world. Taxes, fees not included for deals content.Tom Equels’ many achievements read a bit like the back of an adventure novel-decorated combat pilot, celebrated attorney, philanthropist, international equestrian champion, pharmaceutical CEO, and even a black belt in karate.Įquels’ wide-ranging career has taken him around the world-from the jungles of Vietnam to Florida courtrooms, and even a memorable encounter with dictator Manuel Noriega. If you have any questions or suggestions regarding this matter, you are welcome to contact our customer support team.īusinessYab is not a booking agent, and does not charge any service fees to users of our site.īusinessYab is not responsible for content on external web sites.
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