Tom Dupont, 77 of Hendersonville, NC, passed away on November 16 after a 4 ½ year bout with leukemia. He is survived by his wife Jane, son Steve Dupont and his wife Audrey of Birmingham, AL, two grandchildren, Alister and Noelle Dupont, and a sister, Barbara Hendrix of San Diego, CA.
Tom grew up in the Cleveland, Ohio area and was graduated from Lake Forest (IL) College in 1965. He received a Ph.D. in Consumer Psychology at Purdue University, where he met and married the love of his life, Jane. After a brief stint of college teaching at IUPUI, in 1970 he joined the firm of Oxtoby-Smith, a boutique marketing research company in NYC, conducting marketing research for clients such as AT&T, Volvo, TWA, Minute Maid, and Block Drug. He rose through the ranks, becoming President in 1988. In 1993 he and Jane formed their own firm, D Squared Research, which specialized in consumer surveys used in deceptive advertising and trademark infringement litigation, and Tom was a frequent expert witness in the federal courts. During that time he and Jane lived in Mountain Lakes and Kinnelon, NJ and were both active as elders in the First Presbyterian Church of Whippany, NJ.
They retired to the Cummings Cove community in Hendersonville, NC in 2007. Tom enjoyed golfing at Cummings Cove, hiking with Hendersonville’s High Country Hikers, and traveling to many domestic and foreign destinations, most of which involved hiking. He also enjoyed working in the Cummings Cove Community Garden with the produce grown donated to MANNA Foodbank. He often remarked that the beauty of the land and the many friendships they found in WNC made the move there the best decision they ever made.
A Celebration of Life will be scheduled at a later date. In lieu of flowers, please consider making a contribution in his memory to one of the following mostly local charities that Tom supported: Conserving Carolina, Mountain True, Community Foundation of Henderson County, MANNA Foodbank, Habitat for Humanity, Henderson County United Way and, of course, the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.
Condolence cards may be sent to the family at www.jacksonfuneralservice.com or to Po Box 945, Hendersonville, NC 28793.