Volunteer Spotlight, Thomas Wronski
Thomas Wronski
Gainesville-Hawthorne State Trail, Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park
Tom Wronski is a native of New Jersey who moved to the Gainesville area in 1983 to accept a faculty position as an anatomist at the University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine. He retired in 2014 after a rewarding career teaching dog and horse anatomy to freshman vet students for over 30 years.
As a young boy, Tom and his brother roamed the woods and wetlands, catching and releasing frogs, snakes and turtles. Then in his 20s, while a graduate student in Utah, Tom became hooked on bird-watching. He’s maintained his interest in wildlife throughout his life. This has enabled him to give visitors good advice about the best areas in the park for bird-watching, and to help them identify reptiles and amphibians that they’ve encountered while camping and hiking. Tom is also an avid photographer. “I make visitors aware that the opportunities for photographing birds, herps, mammals, butterflies, and other flora and fauna in the park are endless,” Tom said.
Another aspect of his volunteer work that Tom enjoys is meeting visitors and asking about their travels. “They’ve given me many good suggestions for national and state parks to add to my bucket list,” Tom says. “I always look forward to my shifts at the visitor center. With the beautiful view of the prairie, often with bison and wild horses grazing out back, it lifts my spirits to spend part of my day here.”
Come meet Tom at the visitor center at Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park.