By Rich Flowers News Editor
A 69-year-old man, seriously injured in a wreck near Athens recently, is on the road to recovery, family members said, Tuesday.
Tom Selman remained at East Texas Medical Center Tyler where he has been since his Mercury Grand Marquee and a Ford F-350 dually clipped front fenders on Farm-to-Market Road 59 southwest of Athens, Wednesday.
Selman underwent 5-and-a-half hours of surgery the night of the wreck, and will require more.
“He’s doing better,” Selman’s sister Elizabeth Phillips said. “He has two broken legs, and hurt his hip and arm, but no internal injuries.”
Phillips said Selman had been talking, and was in “good spirits.”
Selman had just taken part in the 50th Anniversary Luncheon of the Henderson County Historical Commission when the wreck occurred. He was been a commission member for about three years, Phillips said.
“He loves to talk about history,” sister Dorothy Wasunyk said.
Selman is an Athens native, who graduated from Henderson County Junior College before moving on to North Texas State University for his degree.
He returned to teach and HCJC, then moved on to South Plains College and Collin County Community College.
Selman moved from the teaching field to Goodwill Industries. He served with Goodwill in St. Louis, Mo., then became Vice President of Goodwill operations in central Indiana.
Selman returned to Texas, eventually settling in the Dallas area in the mid-80s. He began to work in rehabilitative facilities, and has a rehabilitative consulting service.
For years Selman collected presidential campaign buttons, and presented the display at different locations. Schools, libraries, museums and banks all hosted Selman’s presentations. In the Presidential Election year 2008, his buttons were on exhibit at the Henderson County Historical Museum.
“I can do two or three at once and make them fairly comprehensive. At some locations I have 40 or 50 feet of display space,” Selman said at the time.
