Thomas Devine, Ph.D.

Thomas E. Devine, Ph.D., 84, departed this life peacefully the morning of July 7, 2022, with his nephew Matt at his hospital bedside. Tom was a Research Geneticist with the US Department of Agriculture for most of his long career. He is internationally known for his work in soybean and alfalfa genetics. He earned the degrees of B.S. from Fordham University, M.S. from Pennsylvania State University, and Ph.D. from Iowa State University. He was a Fellow of the American Society of Agronomy, as well as a Fellow of the Crop Science Society of America. He served on the National Council of the American Genetic Association and chaired both the Soybean Genetics Committee and Soybean Crop Advisory Committee.

He was born to James Michael Devine and Anna Brady Devine and raised in the Bronx, New York City. Tom maintained close contact with his many cousins in Ireland and around the U.S. through frequent travels, as well as hosting travelers. He was an active member of community organizations: Knights of Columbus, Irish American Cultural Institute, Scoutmaster for Boy Scouts of America, Ancient Order of Hibernians, and mentor for High School/USDA Science Fair projects.

Dr. Devine played a critical role in developing the first Cooperative Regional Project of the Historically Black 1890 Colleges and Universities within the discipline of Agronomy. His philanthropic generosity included scholarships to Irish American Cultural Institute’s Irish Way program and the St. Columcille Institute.

He is survived by his sister Ann Sparks of El Paso, TX. The Visitation will be held Friday, July 22, at 10:30 AM at St. Mary of the Mills, Laurel, MD.  Tom’s Funeral Mass will be 11:30 AM at the same location. He was a parishioner at St. Mary of the Mills for over 45 years.