Background
Thomas Bomar was born in Sherman, Texas in 1896. He graduated from the U.S. Coast Guard Academy in New London, CT in 1918.
After several years of working in the industrial engineering industry, Bomar moved to San Diego in 1928. That same year he
became the manager of the Industrial and Aviation Department of the San Diego Chamber of Commerce. He served as the San Diego
Kiwanis Club president in 1938. In 1942, with the onset of World War II, Bomar left his position in the Chamber of Commerce
to serve as an officer in the U.S. Naval Reserve. He returned to San Diego in 1945 and again took up his position with the
Chamber of Commerce. Beginning in 1947, he worked as the managing director of the San Diego – California Club, an organization
that promoted San Diego tourism.