- February 7, 2025
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Dr. Thomas Chapin Braman (1939-2025) Dr. Braman, a resident of Palm Coast, Florida, for more than twenty years passed away on January 18, 2025. He was the son of former Palm Coasters Hunnewell and Ruth Braman. Dr. Braman was born in Princeton, New Jersey, but grew up in Ephrata, a small town in central Pennsylvania and maintained strong ties there. He left Ephrata in his high school junior year to attend The Gunnery, (now the Frederick Gunn School) a college preparatory school located in Washington, Connecticut, that was founded by his great, great grandfather, Frederick William Gunn, in 1850. He represents one of six generations of extended family who graduated from the school. He recently was inducted into the school’s Arts and Letters Hall of Fame. Dr. Braman was particularly proud of his Scottish/Norse/English ancestral roots on both sides of his family. He played football and basketball at the Gunnery and won a scholarship to Princeton University, but a senior year knee injury had already ended his athletic career. He transferred to Franklin and Marshall College where he earned a BA Degree in History. He went on to the University of Florida earning an MA Degree in Latin American Studies and a PhD in Latin American History. He has long remained a loyal Florida Gator, serving on the Board of the International Center and for more than fifteen years assisting Boren Scholarship applicants through their review process. (Go Gators!)
Dr. Braman began a more than 40-year career in analysis and operations with the Central Intelligence Agency in 1964. He has often described his career as “relatively inconsequential, but eventful” and has echoed the words of a friend and colleague who said, “With what other organization could two small town boys from Pennsylvania see so much of the world?” Indeed, during his career he lived in, had temporary assignments in, or visited more than fifty countries. Of course, he always said, “There are more than a million stories in the Naked City,” and, after a few wee drams of Johnny Walker, he could tell at least a hundred of them. (And, then there were the single malts.) As he said, “Some of the stories might even be true.” While he enjoyed all of his CIA assignments, he frequently reminisced about meeting his future wife in South America, writing his PhD dissertation in post-coup Chile, being captured by insurgents during the first attack on the US Embassy in Tehran during the 1979 revolution, representing US intelligence liaison in the UK during the Falklands War, sleeping in former KGB Chief Lavrentiy Beria’s bed in Moscow, traveling to Asia and Africa with the White House Drug Czar, being expelled from Sri Lanka during a political dispute between the President and Prime Minister of the country, and, during his first retirement, meeting, greeting and escorting friends and colleagues in Belgium. His favorite spots were Bruges and the battlefield at Waterloo.
After the terrorist attack on 9/11, Dr. Braman, like many colleagues, returned to the Agency and served overseas as a trainer, analysis instructor, and military liaison officer in various countries in the Middle East, Europe, and South Asia. He had six assignments in Iraq and is one of the few CIA officers to have served in both Iran and Iraq.
He is survived by his wife, Lillian. They have traveled all over the world. He said many times that, “Lillian has always been my wife, best friend, partner, and colleague and has made life worth living, especially during the various health issues I have faced.” He is also survived by his sister, Kathleen Braman Allen of Palm Coast, and his brother, Dr. Robert G. Braman of The Villages, Florida, and many friends in the States and abroad.
The family kindly requests that in lieu of flowers, memorial donations can be made in Thomas’ name to either F.W. Gunn School (Attn: The Class of 1957 Fund), 99 Green Hill Road, Washington, CT 06793 or the Gunn Historical Museum, 5 Wykeham Road, Washington, CT 06793. Please include your name and address so the family can properly thank you.
The celebration of life will be held at a later date with family and friends.
The family of Dr. Braman entrusted his arrangements to Clymer Funeral Home & Cremations.
