Tom Fagan was born in Warren, Ohio in 1943 and raised in nearby cities in northeastern Ohio (Ravenna, Akron, and Lyndhurst).  He received his B.S.Ed. (1965) in secondary education in comprehensive social studies with a major in history and a minor in psychology; M.A. (1966) in school psychology, and Ph.D. (1969) in school psychology all from Kent State University.  As Kent State's first Ph.D. recipient in school psychology, he has been employed as Director of the School Psychology Program at Western Illinois University (1969-1976), and Director of the MA/EdS School Psychology Program at The University of Memphis (1976-present which included administrative duties of the PhD program until 2014).

Tom has been active in the National Association of School Psychologists since 1970 holding several elected and appointed positions including its Presidency in 1980-1981 and again in 1987-1988.  He has also presided over the state associations in Illinois (1974-1975) and twice in Tennessee (1983-1984 and 1991-1992).  He served as an editorial board member to the School Psychology Review from its founding in 1972 to 2005, and was editor of the NASP Communique 1981-1987.

He became interested in the history of school psychology in the late 1970s when he realized how little historical information had been collected on the field, and how little was the understanding of most school psychologists about the field even in their own states.  He had been collecting his own materials and many from NASP since his professional appointments and employment in 1969.  Realizing that many of the persons significant to the development of the field were of retirement age or older, he began corresponding with many of them to acquire their viewpoints and in some cases historical materials relevant to the development of the field in many states and nationally.  Files on these individuals will become a part of the EKU collection as will historical files on each state.  The information provided the bases from which to publish many articles and books that would clarify the history of school psychology essentially from 1890 to the present.

Until 2015, Tom served as historian to the NASP, the TASP and to the APA Division of School Psychology.  Tom's interest in the history of school psychological services led to the creation of a personal archival collection.  He created formal archives for NASP, TASP, and the International School Psychology Association (ISPA). in the Special Collections Department of The University of Memphis Libraries.  Most of the NASP materials were transferred to the archives at Eastern Kentucky University in 2014.  Those for the ISPA were organized by Betts Rivet of California and later turned over to the ISPA central office.

He has authored many publications on the historical development and delivery of school psychological services in the United States including (with Paula Wise) School Psychology: Past, Present, and Future published by Longman in 1994 with subsequent editions published by NASP in 2000 and 2007.  With Paul Warden he co-edited Historical Encyclopedia of School Psychology (Greenwood Publishers, 1996).  His research has established a comprehensive history of school psychology and provided an historical identity for its organizations, training programs, and practitioners.  Among his most cherished contributions are the articles he has written on the careers and contributions of more than 65 distinguished school psychologists.  In recognition of his contributions, Tom was granted Honorary Life Membership in NASP.  He holds the 1991 Distinguished Service Award from the Division of School Psychology (APA) and an Honorary Life membership in the state associations in Illinois, Louisiana, Ohio, Tennessee, and Wisconsin.  In 2006 he was honored as the School Psychology Trainer of the Year by a national organization, Trainers of School Psychologists, and in 2007 was granted NASP's Lifetime Achievement Award.  In 2011, Tom was selected by the UM Board of Visitors to receive the Willard R. Sparks Eminent Faculty Award at the University of Memphis; given annually to one member of the faculty, the award is the highest recognition granted to a member of the UM faculty. In October, 2011, Tom was given a Distinguished Alumni Award from the College of Education, Health, and Human Services at Kent State University. In 2015, he was the recipient of the Nadine Murphy Lambert Lifetime Achievement Award from the APA Division of School Psychology.