Light Hearted Ep 24 – Tom Tag, U.S. Lighthouse Society Technical Advisor; Keeper “Crazy” Judson of Stratford Point, CT

Tom Tag (left) accepting a Holland Award from American Lighthouse Council president Don Terras in 2011. The award is named for the historian Francis Ross Holland, Jr., who received the initial Distinguished Service Award that was to henceforth carry his name. The featured interview in this episode is with Tom Tag, who is the technical advisor for the U.S. Lighthouse Society. Tom’s passion for the history of lighthouse optics has made him the premier American authority on the history and technology of lamps and lenses. He formerly served on the U.S. Lighthouse Society’s Board of Directors, along with lead roles in several other lighthouse organizations. Tom Tag was born in Chicago but grew up in Laporte, Indiana. After retiring from a career in management of computer programmers, he was looking for something different to do. Tom has written many articles on lighthouse technology for the U.S. Lighthouse Society’s journal The Keeper’s Log. His work as a lighthouse researcher earned Tom an F. Ross Holland Award from the American Lighthouse Council. He also has had a major hand in the development of what is now the J. Candace Clifford Lighthouse Research Catalog, and he has developed many other historical resources on the U.S. Lighthouse Society website. Theed “Crazy” Judson In the history segment, hosts Jeremy D’Entremont and Cindy Johnson recount the story of Theodore “Crazy” Judson, longtime light keeper and raconteur of Stratford Point, Connecticut. Judson’s interviews with newspaper reporters described sightings of mermaids and a 200-foot sea serpent.