Tommy Boyer, Alumnus, Razorback, Entrepreneur and Philanthropist, Dies at 84

Thomas Edward Boyer, an enthusiastic supporter of the University of Arkansas for more than 60 years, died Wednesday, Feb. 19, 2025, after a brief illness. He was 84 years old.

Known by everyone as “Tommy,” he was successful in sports and business, exuberant in fundraising and philanthropy, and trustworthy in his service to Arkansas and the University of Arkansas. 

“Tommy Boyer’s leadership, generosity and unwavering support of the University of Arkansas left an indelible mark on our institution,” Chancellor Charles Robinson said. “His dedication to the U of A and its students was profound, and his impact will be felt for generations to come. We are very grateful for his contributions and extend our deepest condolences to his family and all who were fortunate enough to know him.” 

A Tall, Lean Basketball Guard 

Tommy Boyer was born Oct. 6, 1940, at Fort Smith, where his parents, Leona Martha and Thomas F. Boyer, ran a mom-and-pop grocery store.  

He led the Fort Smith High School basketball team to two state championships and was recruited by multiple universities, including the University of Kentucky, one of the national powerhouses in basketball. He chose Arkansas so his parents could see him play. 

Coming to campus, he pledged the Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity and met his future wife, Sylvia Ann Hack, a member of Zeta Tau Alpha, while they were in college.

Boyer described himself as an “average player” at the U of A during his sophomore year, the earliest point that athletes could play on the varsity team. The next season, he and a fellow teammate started pushing each other to be better. He became better than average. 

Tommy Boyer in his basketball jersey (1963 Razorback)

Tommy Boyer, No. 34, at the foul line doffs another successful free throw for the Razorbacks during a 1963 game against Texas A&M. (1963 Razorback)

Boyer became an All-American basketball player in 1963 and twice an all-Southwest Conference player in 1962 and 1963. Competing for the Razorbacks, Boyer was known for his accuracy at the free-throw line and his excellent outside shooting prowess from beyond the key. 

“Boyer drilled 33 points ... to again give the home crowd something to cheer about,” the Razorback yearbook wrote in 1963. The next game, Boyer successfully hit 18 of 18 free throws in a win over Texas Tech, a Razorback record that still stands. Four days later in a game against Baylor, he broke the national free-throw record, extending his streak to 44. 

“He was proud to say that, when he was the best free-throw shooter in the nation, that same teammate was the second best, because they had challenged and encouraged each other," his family wrote. “Tommy believed that his experience on the basketball court, and especially his achievements in making free throws, were instrumental in preparing him for business success.” 

Slam dunks are exciting, garner lots of attention and routinely make highlight reels, he said, but they rarely win games. The humble free throw, however, is often the margin of winning in a tight game. 

His family said that he believed in the importance of visualization — seeing in his mind’s eye how many times he would bounce the ball on the floor before taking his shot, his stance, how he would move, how the ball would arc, how it would hit the net. 

“He aimed at nothing in particular,” the Razorback yearbook said, “but, as he put it, ‘just held the ball till it felt right.’” Then swish. 

In a 2013 interview with Frank Fellone of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Boyer was still pondering why Texas Tech players kept fouling him in the 1963 game and sending him to the free-throw line. He asked plaintively: “What kind of village idiot would put you on the line 18 times when you're a 90 percent free-throw shooter?” 

He was the first basketball player in the NCAA to gain a season average above 90 percent at the free-throw line. At one point, Boyer held three NCAA free-throw records: Single season, 93.3 percent made; career, 89.2 percent; and consecutive, the 44 in a row. 

Among his other athletic honors, Boyer: 

• Led the NCAA from 1961-63 with an 89.2% career free-throw mark, 

• Led the NCAA in free-throw percentage in 1962 and 1963, 

• Was named an SEC Legend and inducted into the University of Arkansas Sports Hall of Honor in 1999 

• Was inducted into the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame in 2000.  

Inside Bud Walton Arena, the Tommy Boyer Hall of Champions, named in his honor, celebrates the U of A’s Final Four appearances and its 1994 National Championship.  

He and Sylvia remained committed fans of the Razorbacks through the decades since.

“From his All-America career on the basketball court to his many years of distinguished service in support of his alma mater, Tommy Boyer was always passionate about the University of Arkansas,” said Hunter Yurachek, vice chancellor and director of athletics. “The same discipline and dedication that he applied to becoming an all-conference player and the nation’s best free throw shooter, propelled him to a successful business career and enabled him to be an impactful advocate for our state and our university. Our heartfelt condolences to his wife Sylvia, their daughter Melissa as well as those who were privileged to know him as part of the Razorback family.”

Hard Work and Entrepreneurial Ideas 

Boyer graduated from the University of Arkansas in 1964, earning a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the College of Business, now known as the Sam M. Walton College of Business. 

Many years later and with a sly smile, he said: "My GPA was a 2.7, and I was proud of every little piece of it." 

What came next was beyond grade point averages. Boyer went to work for the Eastman Kodak Co. as a sales manager in its Amarillo, Texas, office.

“When I went to work for Eastman Kodak, they said, 'You have two weeks vacation.' I said, ‘What's that?’” Boyer told a reporter. “My dad never did that. My folks ran that grocery store 20 hours a day for six days a week.” 

He worked at Eastman Kodak for the next quarter century and became the only sales manager at Eastman Kodak to exceed corporate sales goals every year for 26 consecutive years. 

He retired from Eastman Kodak in 1989 and shortly afterward founded Micro Images in Amarillo, Texas. Within two years, Micro Images became the largest  broker and reseller of Kodak document-imaging systems in the United States and remained so for eight consecutive years. The company later moved into imaging software as well.  

He received the Entrepreneur of the Year Award from Walton College in 1998.  

He chaired the Walton College of Business' Dean's Executive Advisory Board from 2003 to 2008 and was inducted into the Arkansas Business Hall of Fame in 2013.  

Philanthropy for the U of A 

If Tommy Boyer was good at making money, he and Sylvia were even better at investing in philanthropic ventures that helped Arkansas and the U of A.  

Sylvia and Tommy Boyer announce their support for the renovation of Old Main during the 1986 kickoff of a fundraising campaign. The "Bring Old Main Back to Life" announcement was held in the large lecture hall that would become Giffels Auditorium. (Special Collections, PC 4592)

Tommy Boyer, left, and John Tyson shake hands at the gift announcement in 2005 that put the university's Campaign for the Twenty-First Century had gone over $1 billion. (Russell Cothren, University Relations)

In the 1980s, the two of them served on the committee to “Bring Old Main Back to Life,” the university’s first large fundraising campaign, which engaged enough private donations to complement state allocations to renovate the 1875 building, the symbol of higher education in Arkansas. 

Over the years, the Boyers established multiple scholarships across the U of A, including through Walton College, the Arkansas Alumni Association and the School of Law, the latter in honor of his brother, Bob. In addition, they provided one-time scholarships intended to assist already-enrolled students whose academic career would otherwise be interrupted due to lack of funding.  

In 1989, to mark their 25th wedding anniversary, the Boyers each established a scholarship in the other’s name for each other's respective college of graduation — one at the College of Business and the other at the College of Education and Health Professions.

The Boyers were founding members and gold members of the Towers of Old Main, the leading philanthropic society of the university. 

Tommy and Sylvia established the Boyer Fellowship in 1999, providing the Sam M. Walton College of Business with its largest endowed fellowship, a lure that snagged honors students from near and far and pulled them into the halls of business. As of February 2025, a total of 236 students have benefited from the scholarships and fellowship established by the Boyers. 

Boyer served as a co-chair of the university’s Campaign for the Twenty-First Century, a major fundraising effort from 1997 to 2005 that raised $1.046 billion for scholarships, capital projects and the university’s endowment. The campaign exceeded any fundraising ever conducted in Arkansas. 

He was also a member of the University of Arkansas Foundation’s Board of Directors.   

Tommy and Sylvia Boyer were honored by the university as Volunteers of the Year in 1992 and received the Arkansas Alumni Association’s Distinguished Service Award in 1999. That same year, Tommy was awarded the Medallion for Entrepreneurship, a national award recognizing outstanding individuals who combine innovative business achievement with service to humanity. 

Service to the UA System and the U of A 

In 1992, the Boyers provided funding for a central office in the College of Education to coordinate student success initiatives. It became a hub for counseling, career advising, tutoring and academic advising and was named the Sylvia Hack Boyer Center for Student Services. In many ways, it was an early model for today's campuswide Student Success Center.

In 1999, the Boyers received the Alumni Association’s Andrew J. Lucas Distinguished Service Award and became founding gold members of the Towers of Old Main giving society. 

Boyer served on the U of A Foundation’s Board of Directors, the Dean’s Executive Advisory Board at the Sam M. Walton College of Business, and was co-chair of the U of A’s Campaign for the Twenty-First Century capital campaign from 2000-2002. Both he and Sylvia served on the campaign’s steering committee. 

He also served as:

• A member of the Dean's Advisory Council for the College of Education, now the College of Education and Health Professions.
• Chair of the Arkansas Business Hall of Fame selection committee
• Chair of the Alumni Association Campaign Committee

The campaign raised more than $1 billion for scholarships, capital projects and the university’s endowment. 

Tommy Boyer, always with a hint of mischief in his eyes, speaks to fellow members of the Towers of Old Main in 2005. (University Relations)

In 2017, then Gov. Asa Hutchinson appointed Boyer to a 10-year term on the U of A Board of Trustees. 

“There was never a question about Tommy’s opinion on things that mattered most to him. He was passionate about the University of Arkansas, particularly the business school and athletics, both of which benefited handsomely from his experience and generosity,” said Kelly Eichler, chair of the U of A Board of Trustees. “He quietly sponsored many students traversing the rigors of the business curriculum and student life. Most of all, he cared about providing opportunities to people and treating them fairly. If Tommy were your champion, you would be in capable and skillful hands. He adored his family, including his dogs, and was quick to share their latest accomplishments or to forward a solid dog joke. Tommy will be dearly missed as a mentor and friend.” 

Jay B. Silveria, president of the UA System, started in January and was just getting to know the trustees. “I was just getting the opportunity to learn more about Trustee Boyer and the significance of his life and career in the state as an accomplished athlete, an incredibly astute and successful businessman, a dedicated family man, and a resolute trustee who cared deeply for his alma mater and community in Northwest Arkansas. ... On behalf of the leadership of the UA System and our campuses, divisions, and units across the state, I want to express our deepest condolences to Trustee Boyer’s wife, Sylvia, and his family, friends, and colleagues.” 

Boyer’s many service involvements stand as testament to his lifelong interest in philanthropy and service to the greater good. 

“He firmly believed that success is never yours alone — we always owe something to the many people who have helped us along the way, so we should hoard neither the credit for, nor the benefits of, success, but rather share them — that success brings a tremendous amount of responsibility to our fellow man and, most importantly, that education is the foundation for opportunity, growth, and development, and we therefore have an obligation to do all we can to make a first-class education available to all,” his family wrote. “These beliefs motivated him to try to inspire, encourage, and support young people in their efforts to build a better future, both for themselves and our society as a whole, and he put enormous effort into that goal.” 

Sylvia and Tommy Boyer in 2004. (University Relations)

Boyer is survived by Sylvia, his college sweetheart and wife of 60 years, and his beloved daughter, Melissa Boyer. He is also survived by sister-in-law Hilda Jo Boyer, and nieces Susie Rosenthal (Brian), Linda Bridges, and Joan Boyer.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Leona Martha and Thomas F. Boyer, as well as his older sibling: brother, The Honorable Robert E. Boyer and sister, Jackie Carey. 

A funeral will be held at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, 224 N. East Ave., in Fayetteville, at 3 p.m. Saturday, April 5, with a reception to follow in the parish hall. In lieu of flowers, the family asked that any memorials be directed in support of Dr. Matthew A. Waller who holds the William Dillard II Leadership Chair in Business Walton College of Business. Checks should be made payable to the University of Arkansas Foundation, with Dillard Leadership Chair in the memo line, and sent to UA Gift Administration, 481 S. Shiloh Drive, Fayetteville, Ark., 72704.