Where Are They Now?
Dublin graduate Tom Spencer found his career in healthcare accounting through a friend from church. “I kind of got into the medical field by accident,” he said. “I went to church in Dublin at the Patrick Street Church of Christ, and a gentleman there who’s known me for a long time, John Hodges, was the administrator at the hospital. He asked if I was interested in a job there, and I said, ‘Heck yeah.’” Spencer applied, and was accepted. “I’ve enjoyed it ever since,” he said.
Spencer graduated from Dublin High School in 1976. While at Dublin, he took a bookkeeping class with Letha Northcutt. He was good at it, and decided to major in accounting after high school. He went on to Tarleton, and graduated with his accounting degree in 1980.
After graduation, Spencer began working for Caporal Forging in Stephenville as an accountant.
He stayed there for two years before he found his first healthcare accounting job through John Hodges at the now-closed Dublin Hospital. He worked at the hospital for three years, then transferred to the Fort Worth branch of the hospital system, where he worked for nearly a decade.
In 1990, Spencer transferred to a hospital in Wichita Falls, and then in the early 2000s he moved to Arlington to do accounting for a home health agency. In Arlington, he met his now-wife, Pam, an occupational therapist.
He’s lived in Arlington ever since, and now works for the University of North Texas Health Science Center in Fort Worth as the comptroller.
“I run the accounting department,” he said. “We just do normal accounting stuff. We do transactions, review financial statements, analyze financial statements, explain them, just typical things like that.”
While some people might assume accounting is dry and difficult, Spencer finds it quite the opposite. “I really enjoy what I do,” he said. “The funny thing too is, at this point, or even 15 years ago, I would sit back and go, ‘This is so simple, it’s ridiculous.’” Spencer plans on staying at his job at UNT for two more years, then retiring. “After I retire, I may volunteer someplace for accounting stuff, but I don’t plan on working full time,” he said. “Hopefully my wife and I can travel some.”
Spencer has two daughters, Stacy Dean, who lives in Wichita Falls, and Crystal Pike, who lives in Mansfield. He has four grandchildren ranging from 8-20.
In his free time, Spencer enjoys cycling with his wife, as well as going on mission trips. His wife uses her occupational therapy skills on the mission trips to help people in other countries get wheelchairs. The couple has gone to Cuba, Kenya, Poland and Mexico with various mission organizations.
Throughout his life, Spencer has found inspiration in his parents. “Your parents are hugely influential in your outlook, your dedication, your motivation and that kind of stuff,” he said. “My mother died when I was 19, the year after I graduated from high school. She was really important to me. And my dad was too. He taught me hard work and dedication.”
Those life lessons were essential to helping Spencer get through college. Spencer married his first wife when he was 19, and just a few months later, he and his wife had a baby. “Financially it was very difficult,” he said. “I told my dad I was thinking about quitting college to go work so I can take care of my family. He basically said, ‘I don’t think that’s a good idea. I think you need to get a degree. I don’t care what you do after that, but get a degree.’” So Spencer stuck it out, and his degree set him up for the career he’s had. “At one point, my dad told me he was proud of me, and that felt really good,” Spencer said. “That was a tough time to get through.”
Spencer’s advice to Dublin graduates is to keep a good attitude. “Be dedicated to what you do, and think positive, don’t think negative,” he said. “You can do it.”
Editor’s Note: This column chronicles what Dublin graduates have done since high school. If you have any suggestions for other grads, email publisher@ dublincitizen. com.