Obituary Notice: Thomas DeHart

Thomas A. “Tom” DeHart, 88, of Morehead, Ky., died November 4. He was a longtime chief engineer for Ashland Oil Inc. and Marathon Ashland Petroleum. Following service in the U.S. Army, he began his river career in the 1950s as a deckhand aboard the original Paul Blazer. He rose to the position of chief engineer and was for many years on the original Valvoline. When the new Valvoline was being built at Houma La., in 1987, he spent several months at the shipyard as the boat was nearing completion and was the chief aboard it when it came out. Following his retirement from Marathon Ashland, he worked for several years as a fill-in engineer for Madison Coal & Supply (Now Amherst Madison) of Charleston, W.Va.