Biographical / Historical Notes
Thomas Bomar was born in Sherman, Texas in 1896. He graduated from the U.S. Coast Guard Academy in New London, CT in 1918. After several years of working in the industrial engineering industry, Bomar moved to San Diego in 1928. That same year he became the manager of the Industrial and Aviation Department of the San Diego Chamber of Commerce. He served as the San Diego Kiwanis Club president in 1938. In 1942, with the onset of World War II, Bomar left his position in the Chamber of Commerce to serve as an officer in the U.S. Naval Reserve. He returned to San Diego in 1945 and again took up his position with the Chamber of Commerce. Beginning in 1947, he worked as the managing director of the San Diego – California Club, an organization that promoted San Diego tourism.
During his lifetime, Bomar wrote a number of anecdotal stories and articles recounting his experience working in the aviation industry, as well as milestone events in the history of San Diego aviation. Twenty-six of these stories were published in the San Diego Union newspaper between October 10, 1948 and September 25, 1949. He wished to publish the entire collection of his stories as a book, but was never able to find a publisher. Throughout his life, Bomar was a vocal advocate for the expansion of Lindbergh Field, San Diego’s main airport, and the establishment of air mail services to the city. He eventually went on to support the idea that the city consider taking over the military air field at Miramar Air Station to create a larger city airport. The articles he wrote for the San Diego Union demonstrate the breadth of his aviation activities, including his support of female aviators and his encounter with Amelia Earhart upon her visit to San Diego in 1932. Bomar died when he was 80 years old in 1976. He was the acting general manager of the Chamber of Commerce at the time of his death. He was married to Bonnie K. Bomar.
From the guide to the Thomas F. Bomar Papers, 1930-1975, (San Diego History Center Document Collection)
