On Thursday, September 18, 2025, the Pratt community, family, and friends came together in Memorial Hall to honor President Emeritus Dr. Thomas F. Schutte, who served as president of Pratt Institute for 24 years from 1993 to 2017. He passed away earlier this year.
Joe Hemway, Pratt Institute’s vice president for technology and CIO, welcomed everyone before introducing the speakers.
Pratt Institute President Frances Bronet praised Dr. Schutte as a visionary leader and community giant who transformed Pratt into a world leader among colleges of art and design. “Tom understood the transformative power of a creative education for our students, our communities, and our city, and through his work, partnerships, and munificence has ensured the legacy of a Pratt education,” she said. “With a vision to the future, he brought a holistic approach to the Institute, where everything, from the stunning grounds to technology, was essential in providing the foundation for a diverse student body to succeed. This is the Pratt that I am grateful—all of us are grateful—to have inherited from Tom.”
As a longtime colleague, neighbor, and friend, Pratt Board of Trustees Chair Gary Hattem spoke of Dr. Schutte’s leadership style of inclusion and respect, his gift for listening, and how “although he held great authority and power, he carried himself lightly and as an equal to everyone he brought into his ever-expanding Pratt circle. That culture of mutual respect and collegiality is a hallmark of Pratt that continues to this day.”
Rob Walsh, who served as commissioner of the New York City Department of Small Business Services from 2002 to 2014, and M. Blaise Backer, who was executive director of Myrtle Avenue Brooklyn Partnership from 2004 to 2014, spoke of working with Dr. Schutte on the community-based revival of Myrtle Avenue and his profound impact on the local Clinton Hill neighborhood and community, highlighting his infectious enthusiasm, remarkable powers of persuasion and persistence, and ability not to dwell on problems, but rather to work actively and collaboratively on solutions.
Former Brooklyn Borough President and New York State Senator Marty Markowitz, who was unable to attend in person, sent a message praising Dr. Schutte’s leadership qualities and how he made possible Brooklyn’s reputation and real achievement as the creative, cultural, and artistic hub of NYC and beyond.
Jack Esterson, BArch ’75, member of the Brooklyn Arts Council board of directors and designer of Pratt’s Myrtle Hall, remembered Dr. Schutte’s unwavering commitment to the building’s design and determination throughout the project to ensure that the final building would remain faithful to Esterson’s vision. Schuyler Klein, BArch ’15, served as Student Government president during his final year at Pratt and lived with the Schuttes, along with several other students, at the Caroline Ladd Pratt House. He spoke of the opportunities Dr. Schutte made possible for students, and his lively presence and engagement on campus, noting that many classmates remember him attending their thesis shows, taking the time to ask them about their projects, and seeing the work they had created.
School of Design Dean Anita Cooney introduced a video that was shown at the 2013 Pratt Legends annual benefit gala. She explained that it was announced, following the video presentation at Legends, that all proceeds of the evening would benefit the establishment of the Thomas F. and Tess L. Schutte Scholarship Fund. To date, 19 Pratt students have been awarded scholarships from the fund.
A moving rendition of “Amazing Grace,” one of Dr. Schutte’s favorite hymns, was performed by tenor Derrick Alton, accompanied by pianist Dr. Gregory Hopkins.
Many of the speakers thanked Dr. Schutte’s wife, Tess, and their two sons, for “sharing him” with Pratt through the years. Tess Schutte explained that he was rarely at a loss for words. “Tom just enjoyed people and gabbing with them, especially those he met on campus, including security guards, landscapers, cafeteria workers, faculty, staff, and students,” she said.
She recalled two rare instances when he was momentarily speechless—at the 2013 Legends gala, when he was honored for his 20 years as president of Pratt and the establishment of the Thomas F. and Tess L. Schutte Scholarship Fund was announced, and at the 2017 Commencement, when, to his surprise, Pratt bestowed an honorary doctorate degree upon him. “I’m convinced that if Tom were here today, he would be at a loss for words once more, and humbled by the outpouring of recognition and lofty tributes, the beautiful music, as well as by your presence and participation on this very special occasion.”
The memorial tribute was followed by a reception in the Student Union, where attendees exchanged personal memories of Dr. Schutte. Many continued the conversation afterwards as they walked through the sunlit Pratt campus, the community, and the neighborhood that he loved so well.