Beaverton Tutors Come To You

Although the city of Beaverton, Oregon, has numerous claims to fame — it’s home to beautiful parks, charming cafes, and the world headquarters of Nike Inc. — one of its most remarkable stories is that of a World War II brigadier general and his rock star son.

The Portland suburb of Beaverton has long been known as an ideal place for raising families, and so it was for Gen. James Burdette Thayer, who served with distinction as a platoon commander and helped liberate the Gunskirchen Lager concentration camp in Austria in 1945. After the war, he earned a degree in economics and settled with his wife in Beaverton where they raised five children.

Their son Tommy, born in 1960, early on decided to devote his life to music. In 2002, after several decades as a rock musician, Tommy Thayer joined the iconic rock band KISS as lead guitarist, and continues to tour and play with the band today as “The Spaceman,” performing in full costume and makeup as the other band members do.

You would think that a father and son with such radically different life experiences would not have much in common. However, there’s no doubt that early tutoring in music helped Tommy Thayer to take it up as his career. No doubt he also absorbed important life lessons from his father, who founded a successful office supply company in Beaverton and was an instrumental community leader in the city.

Tommy’s mother Patricia was a violinist and singer, and the Thayer children grew up surrounded by music ranging from classical to pop and hard rock. Tommy began playing electric guitar at age 13 and after high school formed the band Black ‘n Blue, which performed for many years throughout the United States and Europe.

Tommy got to know KISS members during the mid-1980s and soon after began to work in a variety of capacities for the band, doing everything from managing tours to producing and editing videos. Today, KISS continues to tour internationally and release new albums.

Tommy Thayer took to heart his father’s example of community service. Father and son are now collaborating on re-opening the Oregon Military Museum in nearby Clackamas, which has been renamed in James’ honor. The Brigadier General James B. Thayer Oregon Military Museum is expected to debut in late 2017, supported in large part by several million dollars raised by concerts headlined by KISS. The effort is due in part to the fact that KISS founder Gene Simmons is the son of a Holocaust survivor who Simmons believes was at the Austrian camp that James Thayer liberated after the war.

Tommy Thayer is also devoting much of his spare time to support music education, recently providing instruments for Oregon schools in need, and also serving on the board of Pacific University in Forest Grove, another Portland suburb.

It’s obvious that the Thayers realize the value of education and its importance in assuring future success. Hiring Beaverton tutors is one way in which students can make sure they are ready and able to meet the academic challenges that are ahead.