From the Chicago Sun-Times in part:
Former Commonwealth Edison Chairman and CEO Tom Ayers was many men -- a prominent player in the cultural, social and economic advancements of Chicago. He was the Chicago establishment, serving on the boards of Sears, G.D. Searle, Chicago Pacific Corp., Zenith Corp., Northwest Industries, General Dynamics Corp. of St. Louis, First National Bank of Chicago, the Chicago Cubs and the Tribune Co. Mr. Ayers also was an agent for change, negotiating between Mayor Richard J....
Without doing further research, I understand that he had good relations with Bill after he came "out" and took up some of his causes.
At the time, decades ago, when son Bill Ayers was "underground" and plotting bad things, I was putting out a conservative newsletter which went national. The newsletter was focused mainly on the thrust of liberals and commies into the western Chicago suburbs, with, of course, my views and commentary on ANY conservative issue.
Thomas Ayers, who lived in a neighboring Chicago suburb, was one of my subscribers. I knew nothing about him, he was just another name....and, of course, at the time I had no knowledge of any connection between father and son, nor did anyone else. It was still early in his son's game. It was only after Bill Ayers, the son, was busted and his name became well-known that I realized the connection between he and Ayers the father. Till then, he was only one of my paying readers.
I nor anyone else will ever know if Thomas Ayers subscribed to my newsletter because he had heard of it and was conservative himself, or because he was a closet radical who wanted to keep an eye on what local conservative activists like myself were up to.
One of our great Illinois freepers worked with me on the newsletter back in those days...and we are still in the fight.
Leni
I spoke with his uncle Chal before his death in the early 1990s and he had nothing good to say.