It is with tremendous sadness that we announce the loss of one of our authors. Thomas LaVerne Aud passed away unexpectedly at his home in Jackson, Tennessee, on Nov. 26. He leaves behind his wife, Celeste; daughter Angela; son Matthew; three grandchildren; and three brothers. He was 73 years old.
Tom served as the archivist for Madison County, Tennessee, and editor of Family Findings, a publication of the Mid-West Tennessee Genealogical Society. He also a member of the Madison County Public Records Commission and the Tennessee Historical Records Advisory Board. For 34 years, he served as director of the Jackson-Madison County Public Library. He was also an active member of St. Mary's Catholic Church in Jackson.
Tom was the author of Gold is the Key: Murder, Robbery, and the Gold Rush in Jackson, Tennessee. The first edition was published in 2012 and the second in 2014. His was the first book published by BrayBree when it first started in 2012. We enjoyed working with Tom to help bring his work into publication. His thorough research and fascination into the discovery of a cache of gold coins in downtown Jackson in 1985 and the circumstances and events surrounding them will be part of his legacy to his community, as well as his many years of dedicated service to patrons and researchers at the Jackson-Madison County Library and the Madison County Archives.
His obituaries may be found at Arrington Funeral Home and in the Jackson Sun. Please keep Tom's wife and family in your thoughts and prayers.