THOMAS LALLY

Trlally@yahoo.com

June

Portage park

I spent 3 years 11 months in the United States Navy after graduating from Schurz. I was posted in Virginia Beach, Virginia after attending electronics school in Jacksonville, Florida right after "boot camp" at Great Lakes, Illinois. The Navy was great because I played all the Naval Air Station sports. I got paid for playing my way through the service. I attended Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia on the "GI bill" and taught school and coached football and basketball for two years before becoming a Foreign Service Officer with the U.S. Department of State in Washington, D.C. My career in Washington covered a variety of Departments and Agencies (US Dept. of State, United States Information Agency, Treasury, and others.) I handled anti-terrorism assignments, executive protection and foreign assignments in the middle East and Africa. After 28 years of all that, I retired in December 1997, sold my home in Maryland and moved back to Chicago and a steady partnership with Marssie Bernardini. I got an talent agent in March of 1998, and have been a full-time actor in theatre, film, voice-over and TV. The circle seems to be complete.

I enjoyed playing sports at Schurz, but my real success was in theatre, Oklahoma, Tea House of the August Moon, and Brigadoon. It all started when Marssie was going to audition for Oklahoma. We were sitting in the audience watching others audition and waiting her turn when I stated, "I could do that!" meaning audition. She said prove it and I signed up sang the Star Spangled Banner and had leads in the next three plays. What was Kondratowicz thinking? Marss and I have remained close to Chet ever since...