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Posted by on Jul 4, 2013 in Blog, General Poker, Las Vegas, Uncategorized | 1 comment

The Fall and Rise of Our Brother Tom Sexton

 

tom-sexton

 

One extraordinary moment in someone’s life can tell you a lot.

Consider what happened once to Tom Sexton.

 

Years ago, Tom was a professional ballroom dancer.  He even competed in national dance contests.  From an early age, Tom always loved the art of dance, probably because it’s such a wonderful expression of symmetry and self.  Don’t be fooled by Tom, who now resembles a teddy bear.  Back then, he was in extraordinary physical shape, a carryover from his college days as a gymnast.

Tom was competing in the finals of a prestigious ballroom dance competition.  The live performance was filmed.  That footage was later shown at a party I attended here in Las Vegas.  I had the rare treat of viewing the video about ten years ago along with a room full of people.  And, I’ve never forgotten it since.

Tom and his dance partner held the audience’s attention in total captivity.  The couple spun and circled and turned and twisted transforming their waltz into an unmistakeable esplanade of coordinated splendor.  The music and dance lasted for perhaps five minutes.  But in reality what we were all watching was the consummation of months of mistakes and missteps, the end result of an arduous and even painful period of practice and personal sacrifice.

The dance appeared to be going spectacularly well.  Then, disaster struck.  Late in the performance, Tom slipped and fell.  He tumbled down and crashed to the floor.  Such a glaring misstep was highly unusual, especially at the highest level.  Tom’s trip and subsequent fall essentially meant the duo was finished.  They had no shot whatsoever of scoring high or advancing to the next round of the competition.  Tom’s devastating fall meant the end.  For them, the competition was over.

Tom was sprawled out on the dance floor laying flat on his back.  His partner stood above him, not knowing quite what to do.  The crowd watched to see what would happen next.

Those few moments which followed have become my indelible impression of Tom Sexton.  They reflect the extraordinary manifestation that makes this wonderful man so special, to so many.  Gallant, totally unfazed, with unbridled determination, Tom lifted himself from the floor.  Within seconds, right on the beat and up to tempo, he latched onto his partner’s arms.  In an instant, the duo began circling and spinning around the dance floor again — only this time with even more robustness than before.  And even amidst that majesty, what we all saw that night wasn’t a recovery but a beaming smile upon Tom’s face that could be seen from the farthest seat away.

That smile.  Tom’s smile.

That special one-of-a-kind smile that’s become Tom’s personal trademark, shared with friends and strangers alike.  An infectious smile that’s a gift to us all with no strings attached.

I’ve seen that remarkable video only once and it was many years ago.  But that memorable portrait of Tom picking himself up off the dance floor and returning to his routine without missing a beat, and then celebrating that unusual moment like he’d won the contest instead of losing it is the way I think of Tom.  It’s the way I will always see Tom.  It’s the way Tom should forever be remembered.

*     *     *

There are sad reasons to now reflect and remember Tom’s life and exceptional character.  Right now.  Not later.  I’ll get to those reasons in a bit.  In the meantime, allow me to tell you a little more about Tom’s life.

Living in the shadow of a legend isn’t easy.  Especially when it’s your brother.  But Tom has done exactly that — lived in the shadow — with unwavering grace and dignity.  It wasn’t always this way.  There was an earlier time when far more eyes were on Tom than Mike, who became the famous World Poker Tour commentator and later a Poker Hall of Fame inductee.

Tom graduated from Fairmont East High School in Kettering, Ohio in 1965.  He led his school to a state championship in gymnastics and became the all-around champion.  Later, he attended Oklahoma University on a full athletic scholarship.  In fact, he became the first-ever All-American gymnast from that school, which became one of the nation’s top athletic programs.  Following college graduation, Tom returned to his high school alma mater to teach and coach.  In typical Tom Sexton fashion, he led them to another state title.

As an adult, ballroom dancing became Tom’s next passion.  He owned dance studios in both Las Vegas and Miami.  Later, he owned a taxi company in Lake Tahoe prior to semi-retiring and moving to Las Vegas in 1992.

There would be more passions in Tom’s life.  Next, Tom began focusing much of his time and energy on poker.  He routinely played for low-stakes, preferring to experience the joy of playing and meeting other people rather than becoming a highly competitive professional.  Over the years, he came to know anyone and everyone in the game of poker and gambling — from Stu Ungar to Archie Karas.

Fortunately, Tom began writing about many of the fascinating characters of the Las Vegas gambling scene, which appeared at SEXTON’S CORNER.  His narratives on Chip Reese and Archie Karas are among the best ever on those two remarkable individuals.

Tom’s passions were as varied as they were uncontrollable.  He learned photography and eventually became the official photographer of the World Series of Poker, while at Binion’s Horseshoe.  No matter what he was doing or how late at night it was, Tom was often seen doing what he loved — with that infectious smile.

Tom’s skill as a photographer led to another project, which was the creation of collages of famous poker players are legendary.  He created montages of scenes for gold bracelet winners to remember their moments of glory.

Indeed, Tom has held a number of jobs during his career — including teaching high school, coaching gymnastics, ballroom dancing instructor, dance studio owner, taxi driver, small businessman, writer, photographer, salesman, artist, and poker player among other things.  But in a sense, Tom hasn’t worked a day in his life, because he enjoys what he does.

Suffice it to say, Tom had a great influence on the success his brother Mike enjoyed.  He influenced countless other as well, including me.

Tom has three children (Kent, Kim, and Marilyn), four grandchildren, four brothers, and two sisters.  He currently resides with his wife Ann in Indianapolis, IN.

*     *     *

Tom has fallen recently, this time in a far more serious way.

About a month ago, Tom suffered a stroke.  While recovering in the hospital more tests were done.  It was discovered that Tom has stage 4 pancreatic cancer.  To put this into perspective, there is no stage 5.  So, the prognosis for Tom is not good.  He left the hospital a few weeks ago and now rests peacefully on most days in a semi-state of consciousness.

Tom has fallen on the toughest of times — physically, mentally, and financially.

Unfortunately, Tom can’t get up alone.  He wants to.  He wants to get up just as he did once before in that indelible moment of glory.  But this time he’s not able to rise by himself.  Accordingly, it is we who love and know Tom who must reach out, bend down, and lend a helping hand to our fallen brother.

And so let us carry and lift this man’s spirits, as he has done so unselfishly many times in the past for so many of us.  Let us be the ones to lift Tom now and provide him and his family with the love and support they need as they say what could be a final goodbye.

Let us lift him now as he’s lifted our spirits before.  Let us lift him for one final imaginary dance, which we shall forever associate with that beautiful smile.

Every dollar helps.  To make a donation, please visit the website YOUCARING.COM and give your support to Tom and his wife Ann. 

To send other items directly to Tom and Ann Sexton, please use the following home address:

Tom and Ann Sexton

7410 Sandawe Place

Indianapolis, IN 47217

Note:  Thank you to Mike Sexton, Karin Firmani,  and BJ Nemeth for your input and support.

 

sexton-brothers

 

1 Comment

  1. Thanks, once again, Nolan…. for your eloquent words about a mutual friend. Tom has not only touched my life, but the lives of people he’s never, nor will ever, meet. His infectious smile… you hit the nail on the head. I watch videos now of him dancing, of his dancing with me… and how he made all of my friends think it was me who could dance.
    I wish I could do more than remember before it’s too late. This story will only have one ending. Let’s send our love before it’s too late.
    Jan Fisher

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