THE LIFE AND LEGACY OF A GREAT MAN

Thomas (Tom) Ulysses Wilkins was born August 3, 1948 in Durham, North
Carolina to the late Mary Elizabeth Williams. He attended Hillside High School
and earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Electronic Engineering Technology
from the American Technical Institute in Killeen, Texas, and he is a veteran of the
U.S. Navy, where he was a member of the Presidential Ceremonial Honor Guard.
As a teen in Durham, Tom worked as a server at Angus Barn and by the age of 19
he partnered with some buddies and opened Angels of Mercy Jazz Club. Though
his love was jazz, he was passionate about telecommunications and with a 2-man
crew working for MCI in 1986 Tom founded Wilkins and Associates based in
Washington, D.C. In 1987, Tom moved the company to Texas and opened a
location in Plano where the business was incorporated in 1992 as The Wilkins
Group, Inc. (WGI.) Fate transferred Tom to Texas where he met a real estate
broker, Faye Moses, who sold him an investment property and then ultimately
became his wife.
With his roots in Durham, Tom grew up around the Research Triangle Region
(Chapel Hill, Durham and Raleigh) known for its technology companies and
scholarly institutions.
As founder and CEO, of WGI, Tom held numerous certifications and licenses and
is accredited to being one of the first Registered Communications Distribution
Designer (RCDD)s with Building Industry Consulting Services International
(BICSI). He also held Communication Contractor's Licenses (state of CA, FL,
GA, St. Louis City and St. Louis Co.)
Former Texas Governor Rick Perry appointed Tom to the Telecommunications
Infrastructure Fund Board (TIFB) in 2000 where he served for five years until the
Texas legislature sunset TIFB in 2005. TIFB raised $1.75 billion in assessments on
telecommunications providers; and funded more than 11,000 grants to assist public
schools, institutions of higher education, public libraries, and nonprofit healthcare
facilities. Tom was also a charter member of Richardson Chamber of Commerce's
Telecom Corridor Council.
For nearly four decades, Tom served as WGI's visionary and focused on growing
the business to a multigenerational firm and hiring other small businesses who he
encouraged to also expand as affiliate entrepreneurs. Under Tom's leadership WGI
has employed hundreds of people over the course the company's 37 years in
business working throughout the continental United States and in the Virgin
Islands.
A longtime auto racing enthusiast, Tom owned three Vipers and was a proud
member of the Viper Club of America. He enjoyed taking road trips in his dually
pickup trucks with the love of his life, Faye, by his side. Up until he passed away
gracefully at home, Tom was planning his 50-year anniversary east coast drive as a
true road dog. Tom was also a golf enthusiast and lodged this past Memorial Day
weekend at the new Omni PGA Frisco Resort where he observed the 2023
KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship. Although not necessarily a Cowboys fan,
Tom understood the value of having coveted game tickets to see America's Team,
thus the reason WGI has maintained Dallas Cowboys season tickets for 32 years.
Tom was also connoisseur of jazz and gospel music and filled his play list with
artists such as Alex Bugnon, Chick Corea, Boney James, Wayman Tisdale, Kirk
Franklin, Fred Hammond, Norwegian Gospel Voices and others.
Tom's life, legacy and love is honored by his wife, Faye, daughter Angela
Wilkins, stepdaughter Tomeka Herod (Keith), stepson Ronald Moses, II (Andrea)
and grandchildren Ivy, Nia, Nicholas, Brooke and Beckham, brother Bernard
Williams and a devoted Aunt Leedora Richardson. Plus, a host of cousins,
mentees, proteges, associates, friends, previous and current employees of WGI
will continue to cherish the great man who oftentimes greeted people with a warm
hug or fist bump.

Lunch immediately following at

Jasper Missionary Baptist Church

134A FM 2693

New Waverly, Tx 77358