NEW YORK, NY - Thomas J. Sliva, of Manhattan, died Feb. 21, 2009, at his home in the East Village. Sliva was Vice President and Technical Director of DL Laboratories in Brooklyn, NY, where he worked for 36 years. He will be deeply missed by everyone there and by his many associates in the field. Sliva was very active in numerous professional trade organizations, most notably, American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM), and honored with several awards. His last, the 2006 ASTM International Award of Merit and accompanying title of Fellow, was the one he most treasured.
 
Sliva was well known in the coatings industry for all the testing work he provided while working for DL Laboratories, as well as his efforts on behalf of coatings within ASTM. "He took life as a gift and gave it back twofold in the kindness and comfort he showed to everyone he knew."