In Memory of Tomlin Perkins Coggeshall
TOMLIN PERKINS COGGESHALL
September 25, 1954 – January 7, 2025
On the morning of January 7, 2025, Tomlin Perkins Coggeshall of Westport, New York, passed away at 70 years of age. Named after his father’s close friend, painter Bradley Walker Tomlin, he was the only child of Susanna Wilson, fourth child of abstract minimalist painter, C. Calvert Coggeshall, and maternal grandson of progressive social reformer and first female U. S. Secretary of Labor, Frances Perkins.
Born in New London, Connecticut, Tomlin went on to make many lifelong friendships at St. Bernard’s School, Franklin Grammar, Middlesex School, and at the University of Maine at Orono, as well as during youthful adventures to Pullman, Washington and over many summers spent in Newcastle, Maine.
Raised to value the importance of art and explore the beauty in nature, Tomlin expressed a constant curiosity about all things. Unafraid to act, never concerned about what others might think of him, Tomlin was inspired most to promote ideas to help make the world a better place.
Tomlin donning his prized FPC hat
Upon completing his B.S. in Botany and Biology in 1980, Tomlin worked in marketing, development and sales in Boston, Massachusetts, Topsham, and Rockland, Maine, offering platforms for IT solutions and promoting clean alternative energies. The generation of green hydrogen was his most passionate voice. Tomlin cultivated support for land conservation efforts, worked with colleagues at the Hydrogen Energy Center, volunteered on Democratic committees, presided over Newcastle’s Glidden Cemetery Association, and not unlike his grandmother, worked to educate others about the ethical relevance of The New Deal programs through a weekly gathering of other New Deal descendants.
Tomlin’s grandmother once said that her crowning achievement was in the creation of Social Security. It’s fair to say, Tomlin’s unflagging efforts inspiring others to join in establishing the Frances Perkins Center – a place to preserve the remarkable stories of the Perkins family, most notably his grandmother’s legacy of social justice and economic security, is his own crowning achievement. On December 16, 2024, with Tomlin by his side, President Joseph Biden signed the proclamation designating the family homestead in Maine, the Frances Perkins National Monument.
Baby Tomlin with his grandmother Frances Perkins
Tomlin loved to sail and would use a boat building metaphor when explaining how to start a non-profit: “It takes many skillsets but it’s the power of the wind, thereby a relevant cause that best fills the sheets.” Tomlin was persistent in maintaining the relevance of his father’s paintings and, never ashamed, would openly share his bipolar condition that he managed so successfully. Generous in every aspect, Tomlin was kind, helpful to others, and always forgiving. There was never any question about acting responsibly as he and his husband chose to care for his mother and father-in-law in their final years.
Tomlin leaves behind many who will always love him, especially his husband and longtime companion of 45 years, Christopher Irvine Rice; his loving half-sister, Kate Hammatt (Hallett) of Kailua, Hawaii; and many cherished nieces and nephews. Tomlin is predeceased by his parents and his half-brother, John Coggeshall (Christine) of Yardley, Pennsylvania, and his half-sister, Pleasance Coggeshall, once of Sea Cliff, New York.
A service and joyful celebration will be held on May 31 in Newcastle, Maine. A website link is available for those inspired to make a donation in honor of Tomlin to the Frances Perkins Center, Newcastle, ME, . It can be found at https://francesperkinscenter.org. Further details to follow.
Tomlin and his husband Christopher Irvine Rice at the Frances Perkins Homestead
Tomlin witnessing the December 16, 2024, Presidential Proclamation signing by President Biden designating the Frances Perkins National Monument