The kith and kin of Callaway: Tom Clapp

Life-long Callawegian Tom Clapp poses in his third-floor apartment in the Brick District, a space he is currently remodeling.
Life-long Callawegian Tom Clapp poses in his third-floor apartment in the Brick District, a space he is currently remodeling.

This column serves as a spotlight, highlighting the everyday people who work and live in Callaway County. Every week, the Fulton Sun will take a moment to have a conversation with someone who is not usually featured in the news, but is just as instrumental in making our community the strong and beautiful place we all know and love.

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Bio: Tom Clapp was born and raised in Fulton. He graduated from Westminster College in 1997, the last all-men's class west of the Mississippi. Clapp worked at an insurance company he bought and managed, then sold to the current Naught-Naught Insurance Agency.

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Q. What was your first job?

A. Brigs IGA. I worked for Bob and Gene Brigs, some of the most wonderful people I have ever known. I stocked shelves for them when I was 16. Gene was rigid, all business. Bob was a social butterfly, he made you feel like you were the most important person in the room. They were the perfect team. Their kids are wonderful, too.

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Q. Who most inspires you (living or dead)?

A. Harry Truman, a speaker of the truth. He didn't beat around the bush. He was one of the first to carry the banner of nationalized health care. What would this country look like if we had done that in 1951?

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Q. What have you done in life that was most fulfilling?

A. I probably have a Callaway County bias, but producing "Song of the Middle River." It's play about Celia, a slave girl purchased by Robert Newsom.

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Q. What is something you are proud of that you have been recognized for?

A. Remodeling a house on East Eighth Street. It was a remodel on an M.F. Bell home. The garage is spectacular. There is this loose stone retaining wall, with stones hand-hued by slave labor, then haled up to Fulton by mule.

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Q. What profession, other than your own, would you like to attempt?

A. I would want to build sets. That would be great, to be a set designer and builder. Though, more builder than designer.

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Q. What profession would you not like to do?

A. I would not want to work sewer lines.

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Q. What is something that nobody knows about you?

A. Nothing. I am a pretty open kind of guy. I like to play chess, and I don't find many people these days know how.

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Q.What is your favorite thing about Callaway County?

A. The contradictions. They happen over and over again. For example, when Churchill came, this guy famously made over 2,000 sandwiches. People were worried about the crowds, so people stayed away. So this guy sold none of his sandwiches. Every once in awhile in our own stupidity, we do something good.