-My+eulogy

Thomas was a true friend to me. He would always be working on something new. Thomas always wanted to impress his mom. It was because of his mom, he felt he had something to live for and he did not want her to be disappointed. He found out by being taught by his mother because his mom decided to home-schooled him for the teacher had called him slow. I was lucky I was his neighbor, because I got to know him better.

Thomas needed a job so he was selling candy and newspapers on a train at the Grand Trunk Railroad. But one day there was a big tragedy for there was a fire on Thomas’ laboratory that he kept on the train. But Thomas denied it. When Thomas was 12 he had lost most of his hearing. People don’t really know if it was a birth defect or from the fire. One evening I will never forget is when Thomas saved my 3-year old brother. He went out to play one day and a boxcar was about to run him over. Gladly Thomas went to the rescue. As a way to pay him back my dad J.U. MacKenzie taught Thomas all about railroad telegraphy, which led Thomas to invent the phonograph.

Thomas invented so many things. He tried to show me some like the electric vote recorder. When people refused to use it, Thomas got angry and gave up inventing things people didn’t want. He got together with some of his friends and created Edison and Co. They were called electrical engineers and constructors of electrical devices because Thomas had improved the telegraph. Since that was so successful the company became the Gold and Stock Telegraph Co. in 1870. He also made the Newark Telegraph Works to make stock printers which are.... That was also victorious which led him to make a multiplex telegraphic system to the Western Union. But that invention slowly turned into a quadruplex telegraph which could send two messages at the same time in different directions. He sold this new invention to Western Unions enemy Atlantic & Pacific Telegraph Co. which was a bad idea because it was led to court. Unfortunately Western Union won the claim.

I believe my friend Thomas lived a great 47 years from February 11, 1847 to October 18, 1931. I also believe that Thomas did make his mom very proud and that she is smiling up in heaven. Now he can join her and be truly happy too. I also know that my friend was a smart man and was rewarded for that by becoming part of history.