Thomas E. Wolfe was born May 23, 1923 in New Lexington. Early on he demonstrated his artistic abilities, creating comic strips and illustrating his high school yearbook. He served in the Navy during WW II and enrolled at The Ohio State University on the GI Bill where he studied art with the late Ralph Fanning. He held various teaching positions during his 42 years as an educator, including science, industrial arts, P.E., and art. The Perry County community has inspired him to paint and develop the regionalist watercolor style that he is well known for and in which he continues to paint today, spending most afternoons painting at his kitchen table.