With great sadness, Stetson SoBA said goodbye to a friend and committed member of the community. Thomas (Tom) Prince ‘67, benefactor of the Prince Entrepreneurship Program and former Stetson University Trustee (1990 to 1995), passed away on March 17, 2023, on his birthday.
He was born in St. Louis, Missouri in 1945. Prince enjoyed hunting, fishing, horseback riding, and playing sports, having grown up all over the U.S.
His family settled in Winter Park, where he graduated from Winter Park High School in 1963. After high school, he attended Stetson University where he met his beloved wife, Selby. Prince was a member of the Pi Kappa Alpha (PIKE) fraternity and was in ROTC. He graduated from Stetson in 1967 with a degree in Business Administration.
He later became a helicopter pilot and earned the rank of Captain in the U.S. Army serving in Vietnam flying for the Black Cats.
In 1971, Prince obtained an MBA from Georgia Southern College and joined Merrill Lynch as a Broker in Orlando, Florida. He joined Days Inns of America soon after its founding and became a successful hotelier. His love for the business led him to develop Prince Bush Investments, known as Prince Bush Hotels, Inc., with his partner and good friend, Robert “Bob” C. Bush.
His commitment to Stetson led his charitable endeavors to start the Joseph C. Prince Entrepreneurship Leaders Program. Founded in the early 1990s, the program was named in honor of Prince’s father, Joseph C. Prince.
The Joseph C. Prince Entrepreneurship Leaders Program prepares and equips business students from the entrepreneurship, finance, and accounting programs with the education and ability to navigate change while creating sustainable economic and social value as they turn their vision into reality.
“The impact Tom and Selby have made at Stetson University is profound,” said President Christopher F. Roellke, Ph.D. “Tom was one of the early pioneers of experiential learning as our champion for the Prince Entrepreneurship Program and laid the foundation for the relationship-rich program today.”