Tom Stuart resided in Makaha during his time in the U.S. Navy and as a teacher at Waianae Intermediate School. His experiences in a 21-year Navy Career included duty as an explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) diver/team leader, a surface warfare officer with seven campaign stars on his Viet Nam Service ribbon, and a weapons computer simulation wargamer in Washington D.C. After leaving the Navy, he spent ten years as a tech service contractor for defense buildup of various military branches. After 30 years of working with military, he turned to teaching math in the public schools. During his very first year in the classroom, he credits Waianae students for helping him to become an effective teacher. He later moved to the big island of Hawaii and taught at Kohala Middle School for 12 years.