LEXINGTON, Va. Nov. 7, 2025 — The superintendent regrets to inform the VMI community of the death of retired Sgt. 1st Class Thomas E. Atkinson, who passed away peacefully Nov. 3, 2025, at the age of 71.

Atkinson enlisted in the U.S. Army at the age of 18 and served for 21 years. His last active-duty assignment was chief of administration in VMI’s Army ROTC from 1990 to 1993. Upon retirement from active duty, he continued to serve VMI Army ROTC for more than three decades before retiring in 2023 as the recruiting operations officer (ROO). During his time at VMI, he directly supported and helped more than 1,900 cadets earn their commissions as second lieutenants.

Retired Col. Douglas Vincent ’93, former professor of military science, shared Atkinson was “an absolute pillar of the VMI community and one of the finest NCOs I’ve ever worked with, from my time as a young cadet all the way up through being the PMS at VMI. Sgt. 1st Class Atkinson taught generations of VMI cadets what ‘right looked like’ and was the embodiment of professionalism and selfless service. He is irreplaceable. RIP my friend. You will be missed."

Kathy Ruffin, administrative assistant for Army ROTC and long-time coworker of Atkinson, said, “He took care of the cadets. He was so organized and put many cadets into the Army. He was simply amazing, always putting others before himself.”

His obituary can be found here.