Tim was born on May 9, 1937 in Brooklyn, NY to a middle class family that had vivid memories of the depression.  His father worked on Wall Street as a transportation industry analyst and his mother worked part time as a secretary.  Because the public school system provided a very poor education and had rough and unruly students, he was sent to private schools – first to Brooklyn Friends School (k‑5) and then to Poly Prep Country Day School (6-9).  At this stage of his life, he was not much of a student but excelled in sports such as football, track, basketball, and baseball.

Concerned that their only child was not being properly prepared for college, his parents and grandparents decided in 1952 to further invest in his future by sending him to a top‑flight prep school, Deerfield Academy in Deerfield, MA.  Initially, the scholastic workload and the level of athletic competition were very challenging.  However, over time he learned good study habits and new skills which enabled him to succeed at Deerfield and to graduate in 1955 with his choice of any college.  More importantly, he learned how the personality and performance of an organization and its members can be positively influenced by a strong culture rooted deep in tradition.

That fall he entered Wesleyan University in Middletown, CT and graduated in 1959 with a B.A. degree in mathematics.  Although this was a very difficult field of study, he played on the hockey team for four years and had an active social life.  This experience helped refine his ability to concentrate intensely on a subject, to think logically, and to conceptualize on a theoretical level.