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{{Short description|American politician (1940–2023)}}
'''Thomas E. Zych''' (January 24, 1940 – November 11, 2023) was an American politician and minister. He was a [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democrat]] from [[St. Louis, Missouri]], serving in the [[Missouri House of Representatives]],<ref name=":0" /> and later as President of the [[St. Louis Board of Aldermen]].
== Biography ==
Thomas E. Zych was born on January 24, 1940.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=R8pKAQAAMAAJ |title=Official Manual, State of Missouri |publisher=Missouri Office of the Secretary of State |year=1977 |pages=145 |language=en}}</ref> He was educated at St. Mary's High School in St. Louis and attended [[Southeast Missouri State University]]. He graduated from [[Washington University in St. Louis]] with a degree in secondary education.
In 1974, he was elected to the Missouri House of Representatives from District 100.<ref name=":0" /> In the 1980s, he served two terms as President of the St. Louis Board of Aldermen. Starting in 1984, Zych faced charges, of which he was later acquitted, that he and five others had defrauded the city of St. Louis in their attempts to get a franchise for cable television in 1983.<ref name="Arch City Chronicle">{{cite journal |last=Murphy |first=Matthew |date=December 21, 2005 – January 3, 2006 |title=THE RETURN OF TOM ZYCH; Former Aldermanic Pres Takes City Job |journal=Arch City Chronicle |volume=4 |issue=4 |pages=1, 5 |location=St. Louis, MO, US |publisher=Nextflood Pub |issn=1544-7936 |oclc=52259805 |access-date=May 7, 2011 |url=http://archcitychronicle.com/pdfs/12-17-05.pdf }}</ref><ref name="Gene Slay obituary">{{cite web |url=https://www.stltoday.com/news/local/article_8a3164d0-5ece-11e0-acc0-001a4bcf6878.html |title=Gene Slay, political powerhouse and businessman, dies at 83 |last1=Sorkin |first1=Michael D. |date=April 4, 2011 |location=St. Louis, MO, US |publisher=STLtoday.com |access-date=May 7, 2011}}</ref><ref name="Federal Reporter">{{cite journal |date=December 30, 1988 |title=UNITED STATES of America, Appellee, v. Eugene SLAY, Appellant. UNITED STATES of America, Appellee, v. Leroy TYUS, Appellant. UNITED STATES of America, Appellee, v. James CULLEN, Appellant. UNITED STATES of America, Appellant, v. Eugene SLAY, Leroy Tyus, and James Cullen, Appellees |journal=The Federal Reporter |volume=858 |series=2 |page=858 F.2d 1310 |location=Sebastopol, CA |publisher=Public.Resource.Org |oclc=7809840 |access-date=May 7, 2011 |url=http://bulk.resource.org/courts.gov/c/F2/858/858.F2d.1310.87-2566.87-2568.88-1040.html }}</ref><ref name=":3">{{Cite web |date=November 9, 1984 |title=Zych, 5 Others Indicted In Cable Case |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/st-louis-post-dispatch-zych-5-others-i/123119356/ |access-date=2023-04-18 |website=[[St. Louis Post-Dispatch]] |language=en-US |via=Newspapers.com}} pp. [https://www.newspapers.com/article/st-louis-post-dispatch-zych-5-others-i/123119356/ 1], [https://www.newspapers.com/article/st-louis-post-dispatch-the-six-men-indi/123119527/ 3]</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Holleman |first=Joe |date=November 9, 2017 |title=Sorkis Webbe Jr. still Democratic young blood |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/st-louis-post-dispatch-sorkis-webbe-jr/123133150/ |access-date=2023-04-19 |website=[[St. Louis Post-Dispatch]] |language=en-US |via=Newspapers.com}}</ref> The others involved in the legal case included Sorkis Webbe Jr., an alderman in the 7th Ward; Sorkis Webbe Sr., a powerful St. Louis politician; [[Leroy Tyus|LeRoy Tyus]], a politician and democratic committee leader; James D. Cullen, Jr. a lawyer; and Eugene P. Slay, a businessman.<ref name=":3" /> He did not run for the office in 1987.
In 1989, Zych became a Methodist minister, subsequently serving two [[Missouri Bootheel|Bootheel]] congregations. In 2005, he became an employee of Recreation Division of the St. Louis Department of Parks<ref name="Arch City Chronicle" /> He later became the director of the Cherokee Recreation Center in [[Benton Park, St. Louis]].<ref name="Cherokee Recreation Center">{{cite web |url=http://www.bentonpark.com/content/cherokee-recreation-center |title=Cherokee Recreation Center |last1=Ormiston |first1=Gale |date=April 14, 2011 |work=The official site of the Benton Park Neighborhood in St. Louis, MO |location=St. Louis, MO, US|publisher=Todd Brandt |access-date=May 7, 2011}}</ref>
Zych died on November 11, 2023, at the age of 83.<ref>[https://www.stltoday.com/news/local/column/joe-holleman/tom-zych-former-st-louis-politican-turned-minister-dies-at-83/article_76c57bb2-81c9-11ee-8c6a-472c21a85c6d.html Tom Zych, former St. Louis politician turned minister, dies at 83]</ref>
==References==
{{Reflist}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Zych, Tom}}
[[Category:1940 births]]
[[Category:2023 deaths]]
[[Category:Members of the Missouri House of Representatives]]
[[Category:Washington University in St. Louis alumni]]
[[Category:Members of the St. Louis Board of Aldermen]]
{{Missouri-politician-stub}}