Obituary of Thomas S. Corso

Thomas S. Corso, 79, passed away on the morning of June 29, 2021, in Connecticut Hospice surrounded by his loving family. Tom was born on April 9, 1942, in New Haven, Connecticut and lived much of his life there until moving to Hamden with his wife of 35 years, Terry E. Lennox. In 2019, Tom and Terry moved to Ivoryton, CT to be close to Essex Village on the Connecticut River, their home port for sailing together to regional destinations with family and friends. After his beloved family, friends and pets, boating and sailing were among Tom’s great lifelong joys. Thomas S. Corso received a B.A. and M.A. in Economics from the University of Bridgeport, CT. As a recognized expert in the field of urban development and strategic planning, his specialization was multi-faceted initiatives which maximize effectiveness of public and private partnerships. Tom held positions at high levels of municipal government and the private sector, was appointed by governors to boards and commissions in the State of Connecticut, testified before Congress as an expert presenter, and has influenced urban policy and legislation at the national level. As President of AMS Consulting, Thomas S. Corso provided development consulting, real estate services, market research and project management to clients from Fortune 500 firms to municipalities and non-profit agencies. For over 20 years, Tom oversaw the firm’s strategic planning and project management services to which he brought his substantial expertise in housing and economic development planning. Prior to his work with AMS, Thomas S. Corso served as an Administrator of Human Resources for the City of Bridgeport where he implemented New England’s first municipal umbrella agency for coordination and administration of social service departments. He served as Vice President of Development for E&F Development Company during which his conception of an affordable home-ownership demonstration project won the Housing and Urban Development Award for Excellence in Public and Private Partnerships and was recognized by the Secretary of HUD. He also served as Administrator of City and Regional Employment and Training Consortium for the City of New Haven, where he was responsible for the creation and implementation of a regional employment and training program while acting as the primary contact with 12 municipalities and the U.S. Department of Labor. In this role he secured numerous national demonstration program grants, particularly for youth employment, which served as models for national legislation and United States Department of Labor programs. He received recognition from the office of the Vice President of the United States for the introduction of arts to urban development. In his public service and elected positions, Thomas S. Corso served on the Board of Directors of the Housatonic Community College Foundation, President of the Bridgeport Marketing Partnership, Treasurer of City Spirit Artists, was an invitational presenter before the United States Congress’s Committee studying Enterprise Zone Legislation, was a member of the Governor’s Commission for Tourism, Member of the Vice Presidential National Task Force on Youth Employment, Member of the Governor’s Commission on Employment Training, was elected New England Representative of the United States Conference of Mayors Employment and Training Council, and served as Vice Chairman of the New Haven Commission on Equal Opportunity. Thomas S. Corso was predeceased by his parents, Lucy Pellegrino Corso and Charles Corso. He is survived by his wife, Terry E. Lennox, two daughters, Abigail Corso of Madison, WI and Lucia A. Corso of Essex, CT, brother Charles J. Corso of Madison, CT and sister Jacqueline Lamirande of Laguna Beach, CA. He also leaves numerous aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces and nephews. Service will be held at St. John’s Episcopal Church, at 3 Cross Street, Essex, CT, on Thursday, July 15, 2021 at 2 PM with burial following in the River View Cemetery, N. Main Street, Essex, CT at 3:30 PM.