BY RACHEL MELCER
The Cincinnati Enquirer
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As a student and star trumpet player at St. Xavier High School, Uttamlal "Tom" Shah was responsible, likable and a good friend, say his former buddies and teachers.
They were stunned to learn that the 38-year-old was among 12 American victims of Friday's terrorist bombing at the U.S. Embassy in Nairobi, Kenya.
Even those who kept in touch with Mr. Shah while he completed his bachelor's degree in music at Berklee College of Music in Boston said they had lost touch with him by the time he enrolled in post-graduate classes at Ball State University in Muncie, Ind.
No one who could be reached for comment Tuesday knew how he ended up as an employee of the State Department, first in Cairo and, more recently, in Nairobi. Yet they were deeply saddened by the news of his death, and several hope to attend his funeral -- which is being arranged in Bremen, Ind.
"It's just unbelievable'
Gone from their lives, he was not forgotten.
"It's very sad. I knew he worked for the State Department, but I was not aware that he was in (Nairobi). It's just unbelievable," said Dick Neidhard, who played alongside Mr. Shah in their four years in the St. Xavier High School band.
"He was a good guy, and he was the type who would be there -- where the need would be," Mr. Neidhard said.
Mr. Shah's parents, Uttamlal and Donna Shah, recently moved out of their Mount Healthy home, according to neighbors. Yet the elder Mr. Shah's name still adorns the sign of a Nationwide Insurance office around the corner. The remaining insurance agent, Kinney Moore, said Mr. Shah is retiring from the business.
The Shahs left word with their business associates: Please refrain from talking to the press. Even basic biographical information about Mr. Shah had not yet been provided to the funeral home that, according to the State Department, will be handling his service.
For now, Mr. Shah's body is among 11 that were solemnly carried aboard a U.S. Air Force C-141 aircraft Tuesday in Nairobi and transported to Ramstein Air Force Base in Germany. They will be airlifted Thursday to Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland, according to the State Department. The 12th American victim of the terrorist attack, who was married to a Kenyan, will be buried in her adopted homeland.
The Associated Press reported that the bombing Friday killed at least 192 people in Nairobi, including the 12 Americans and 33 Kenyans who worked at the embassy, and injured almost 5,000 others. A nearly simultaneous attack on the U.S. Embassy in neighboring Tanzania killed at least 10 people, all Africans. He will be missed
The State Department is not releasing any information about the victims. A spokesperson confirmed that Mr. Shah worked for the State Department, but would not elaborate on his work there or the exact circumstances of his death.
Yet talk to his friends and one thing is clear: Mr. Shah will be missed.
His 20-year high school reunion is scheduled for Sept. 18 and 19, and his classmates say they had been looking forward to seeing him again. Now, they are left to plan a memorial during the celebration. "We were like brothers," said Dan McDevitt, a St. Xavier graduate who is now a surgeon in Atlanta. "I haven't talked to him in years, though. . . . We stayed in touch through most of college, but when I went to med school he went to Ball State in Muncie and we just lost track."
Dr. McDevitt and Mr. Shah played in the school band and visited each other's homes. With a couple of classmates, they formed their own band and played some wedding gigs in Cincinnati. They both loved fusion jazz.
"He was a kind, caring, considerate person, and he was very passionate about music and his performances," Dr. McDevitt recalled.
