Associate dean and political science professor B. Thomas Trout’s year-long battle with cancer ended on Oct. 11 when he died at his Portsmouth home. A memorial celebration of his life will be held Sunday, Oct. 29, at 2pm, in Huddleston Hall Ballroom. Colleagues and friends are welcome.
He was born on May 5, 1939 in Los Angeles, California, the son of the late Jimi and Peg Trout. His father, an artist who worked closely with Walt Disney, was an inspiration to him. Trout spent the summers during his youth at the family home on Catalina Island where he was a lifeguard. Catalina was a spot that remained special to him throughout his life. He cherished vacationing there and telling his children bedtime stories about Silver Canyon.
For more than three decades, Trout was a nationally recognized scholar of national and international security as well as of American and Soviet defense policy. He was also viewed by his academic peers throughout the country as a tireless worker whose global vision, outstanding leadership and organizational skills, scholarly writings, and national faculty seminar presentations made a significant impact on how national security and global issues are taught on American college campuses today.
After the fall of the Soviet Union, Trout played an important role in helping Russian scholars develop strategies for teaching the next generation about democracy and capitalism.
He received his B.A. in International Relations from UCLA in 1961, and served as an active duty U.S. naval officer (1961-64) with the Naval Security Group Activity in Kamiseya, Japan. Trout continued in the Naval Reserves for 30 years, retiring in 1993 with the rank of captain.
He was an intelligence expert whose knowledge of the Soviet Union in general and the Soviet navy in particular was instrumental in America’s Cold War struggle. Following his active duty with the U.S. Navy, Trout received his M.A. (1968) and Ph.D. (1972) in political science at Indiana University and a Russian Area Certificate (1972) from the Russian and East European Institute.
In 1968, Trout joined the political science department at UNH and served as department chair. He was the recipient of numerous national honors, awards and grants, including the American Council on Education Fellow in Academic Administration.
Among his scholarship accomplishments were co-author/co-editor of eight books on global affairs and co-editor of two major book series. His professional work also produced numerous journal articles and book chapters, as well as many consultancies and countless presentations at national professional meetings. He was a frequent guest speaker to local organizations and a contributor to local media on current world issues.
Trout was a devoted runner and taught aerobics at Portsmouth Athletic Club for many years. He was an avid reader and especially liked spy novels and historical books. His hobbies also included drawing, painting, and sculpting.
He is survived by his wife of 16 years Deb Audino and their children Jaime and Andrew; his son Sutton Trout of San Francisco, CA; brothers Everett Trout of Bellevue, WA and James Trout of Folsom, CA.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to a fund established in Trout’s name to assist students studying abroad: UNH Foundation, B.Thomas Trout Scholar Fund, Elliot Alumni Center.