TRINITY HIGH SCHOOL
2025 TRINITY PEACE MEDAL
PRESENTED TO
MR. TOM DUBAY H’94
The Trinity High School community has awarded the Trinity Peace Medal at its graduation ceremony for over 50 years. The award recognizes a deserving individual or group for efforts that promote peacemaking, justice building and service to others. Mr. Klaus Mittelsten H’92, who at the time was chair of Trinity’s Foreign Language Department, initiated the award, along with then-Trinity principal Rev. Thomas Duerr H’92. Recent recipients have included Eddie Woods Jr., PhD., Annette Mandley-Turner, Sister Larraine Lauter OSU, Mr. Buddy Dumeyer, Ms. Karina Barillas, the Little Sisters of the Poor, and Mrs. Denise Sears.
The 2025 Trinity Peace Medal is awarded to Tom Dubay.
Tom is a Trinity Hall of Fame teacher who in his 43 years teaching at Trinity positively impacted the lives of thousands of students in and out of the classroom. His students say he is so much more than a teacher of theology and sociology, but is a true model of faith, character, and striving for social justice. His quiet demeanor and genuine humility have made him a role model for countless people in and outside of the Trinity Community.
Born in Cleveland, Ohio, Tom became concerned with social justice issues at a young age after seeing a Catholic priest who was a family friend run out of his parish for participating in a Civil Rights march in Selma.
After earning his B.A. in Sociology from the College of Steubenville in Ohio and his master’s in religious education from the University of St. Thomas in Houston, Tom found his way to Louisville where he began teaching at Trinity High School. For 43 years he taught Sociology and Catholic Social Teaching, educating and inspiring thousands of students to focus on social justice and the marginalized in our society. He also worked on countless retreats and workshops promoting the Gospel message of love of neighbor and concern for the less fortunate.
In addition to his years at Trinity, Tom has been involved with many organizations in the Louisville community. He worked with the Epiphany Catholic Church youth group for 30 years during which he took a youth delegation to Epiphany’s sister parish in El Salvador. For five years, Tom helped lead Kaleidoscope, an Archdiocesan weeklong service trip to Washington, D.C. for high schoolers. He led a group of Trinity and Sacred Heart students to the Rosebud Reservation in South Dakota to deliver a truckload of clothing and supplies for families on the reservation. For twenty years, Tom worked with Crossroad Ministries, where he served as a retreat leader and board member. Thousands of Trinity students along with high school students from multiple states attended social justice retreats at Crossroads. Though retired from teaching, Tom continues to be involved in working with young people in areas of justice and peace. He currently volunteers at the Passionist Earth and Spirit Center leading retreats focusing on environmental, ecological, and social justice.
Tom and his wife Joan have been married for 51 years. They have two grown daughters, Jessica and Abica and two grandsons, Samson and Felix. Tom is an avid bicyclist, reader, and beekeeper. He is an active member of St. William parish where he travelled to their sister parish in Nicaragua.
For his commitment to young people, and his passion for social justice, Trinity is proud to present this year’s Peace Medal to Tom Dubay.
Trinity President Dr. Robert Mullen ’77 presented the award.