After a brief illness, Tom Saxe died Tuesday April 30, 2019 in Vista. Saxe was 74 years old. Tom had a lifetime career as a sportswriter at the Oceanside Blade-Tribune, Escondido Times-Advocate, North County Times and most recently he was a freelance writer for the Union-Tribune.
Tom was the sports editor of the Vista Press for more than two decades, all the while serving as the sports information director at Palomar College for more than three decades. “At 16 years old he gave me my first job as a writer at the Vista Press for $20 a week,” said friend Dick Christman. “He was a very, very loyal person and he loved Vista, Palomar College and Rancho Buena Vista High School. In recent years, his major contribution was as historian for the college’s Athletic Hall of Fame. He was inducted into that Hall of Fame in 2012.
Bobby Jones of Sunrise Café’s, earliest memories of Tom Saxe was when he roamed the sidelines of Panther football with Coach Haynes and Coach Parks. “In recent years he would come into the restaurant and catch me up on the local sports scene. It was an honor to know him.” Bobby said.
Scott Cathcart, Athletic Director at Palomar said the athletic department plans to honor Saxe, but details have yet to be finalized.
