Tom Milligan, the first baby born at the “new” Greene County Hospital on Jan. 2, 1938, died Oct. 17 at his home in Fountain Hills, AZ. He was 82 years old.
He was the son of Frank Toliver Milligan and Ruth Thompson “Tommy” Milligan. He graduated from Jefferson High School in 1956.
He went to California for college and graduated from UCLA. He then began a Navy career, achieved the rank of lieutenant, and was honorably discharged in 1964. In 1966 he married his high school classmate and sweetheart, Lori Hildreth.
While he was still a senior at JHS, his parents gifted him his first flying lessons. He spent that spring and summer learning to fly in a 65HP Piper J-3 Cub. His love for flying led to a successful 33-year career at Boeing, where he held various positions in marketing and sales. He was instrumental in supplying Boeing planes to North American airline fleets.
Being the first baby born in a new hospital wasn’t his only significant “first”. He also flew the very first 737-300 that was delivered.
Tom and Lori were longtime residents of Washington state and lived briefly in Nevada before moving to Arizona. Lori preceded him in death, as did his sister Jane, a member of the JHS class of 1958.
Editor’s note: Information comes from Tom Milligan’s obituary, forwarded to GreeneCountyNewsOnline by reader Rolfe Blaess. Messinger Mortuaries assisted the Milligan family.
