Tom Wilson — who was part of the husband and wife team that was the driving force being founding the Manteca Mural Society — passed away Thursday.
Wilson, who along with his wife Gayl, was inducted into the Manteca Hall of Fame for their mural effort that was lauded as having a major positive impact on the city.
The Wilsons took a train ride on Vancouver Island while vacationing in British Columbia nearly 30 years ago.
The train stopped for lunch in the small town of Chemainus.
They were amazed at the hundreds of murals throughout town.
They were large and small, on prominent walls, in alleys, everywhere. It made a real impression on them.
That prompted the couple to reach out to others who wanted to use murals as a way to celebrate Manteca’s culture, history, and economy as well as helping creating a sense of being.
Eventually, it led to the founding of the Manteca Mural Society in 2002.
The society motto was established as “public art for a better community.”
Wilson, in the summer of 2003, stood before several hundred people in the middle of the 100 block of South Main Street.
The founder and initial president was speaking at the dedication of the Manteca Mural Society’s first of what would be 32 downtown murals.
It was dubbed “Crossroads 1918”, a nod to the scene it depicted was from the year Manteca was incorporated as a city.
The 20-foot high and 78-foot-long mural — still the largest mural — graces the east facing side of Century Furniture on the southwest corner of Yosemite Avenue and Main Street.
Subsequent murals projects have served to bring the community together including the Cruising mural in the 100 block of North Main.
But none have matched the drawing power — emotional and otherwise — of the five large veterans murals gracing the wall of the two-story IOOF Building.
It has been acknowledged as the largest mural project of its kind on the West Coast acknowledging and honoring veterans.
Wilson was a longtime Realtor and owned Wilson Group Realtors.
He served on numerous civic boards such as the Manteca Planning Commission.
Wilson also was part of a 24-member citizen task force appointed by the City Council in 1998 dubbed Vision 2020.
