"He was one fine man," said Brig. Gen. Johnnie Boyd, CAP’s national vice commander in 1978 during Casaday’s tenure as national commander. "I am saddened to hear of his passing."
At the time of his death, Casaday was a Lifetime Member of CAP. Medically discharged from the U.S. Army in 1946, he joined the organization in 1948 and began a career with the U.S. Air Force auxiliary, serving in various leadership positions within CAP’s Alabama Wing, including wing commander.
In 1971, he was appointed Southeast Region commander and served in that position until 1973, when he was elected vice chairman of the National Board. He was elected national commander in September 1976 during CAP’s annual conference in Philadelphia.
He served as CAP’s national commander for three years, through September 1979, and was succeeded by Boyd. During Casaday’s tenure, he worked to improve training for the organization’s senior members.
In his last "Civil Air Patrol News" column as national commander, he said, "One of the things that has been most gratifying to me has been our progressive development of a career training program that will help increase overall professionalism and job knowledge of our senior members."
One year later, in 1980, he was inducted into the CAP Hall of Honor. A bronze plaque with his likeness was dedicated and put on exhibit at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio.
“Tom was a good leader," said Boyd. "He was a lot of fun, a jolly guy, but he took CAP very seriously."
Casaday is survived by his wife of 66 years, Olive Elmore Casaday.
Casaday was born in Birmingham in 1918 and grew up in Montgomery. He briefly studied at Bob Jones College in South Carolina before transferring to Alabama Polytechnic Institute, now Auburn University, where his studies were interrupted by the outbreak of World War II. He later furthered his business studies at Howard College, now Samford University, and the University of Alabama Birmingham.
Before joining CAP, Casaday served with the Army Air Corps from 1942 to 1946 as a B-24 pilot and flight control officer with the 2nd Air Force Training Command. A veteran multi-engine rated pilot with more than 2,500 flying hours, he used his own Cessna Skylane 182 for CAP search and rescue missions and other humanitarian operations.
In civilian life, he was president of ElCasa Enterprises Inc. and director of Union State Bank in Pell City, Ala. He was the developer of Pine Harbor Marina on Logan Martin Lake. He was later vice president of V.J. Elmore Stores Inc. in Birmingham.
Casaday was a founding member of Canterbury United Methodist Church in Birmingham and a member of the Birmingham Country Club and The Club. He was a 32nd order Mason and a member of Shades Valley Lodge No. 829, as well as a Shriner and a member of Zamora Temple.
He was preceded in death by his parents, the Rev. and Mrs. Thomas Cyrus Casaday Sr.; sisters, Olibel Carr and Jewell Darby; brother, Andrew Casaday; and a grandson, Russell R. Stutts III.
Survivors, in addition to his wife, include daughter, Susan Casaday Stutts; son-in-law, Russell R. Stutts Jr.; 2 grandchildren, Katherine Stutts Comini and Jason Black Parnell; and two great-grandchildren, Thomas Campbell Comini and Olivia Susan Comini.
A memorial service will be held at Canterbury United Methodist Church at 2 p.m. Aug. 22, with visitation to follow. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Southern Museum of Flight, Civil Air Patrol at Maxwell AFB or to a charity of choice.