Those Who Know the Sky
About the Author
Thomas Margiotti
Lawyer, Professor & Author
Biography
Thomas Margiotti is a former homicide prosecutor and forensics professor. His book focuses on the intersection of sport, war, and American identity in the early twentieth century. A graduate of Villanova University and Delaware Law School, he spent years researching Hobey Baker's life, searching archives in France, England, Germany, and across the United States.
His research took him from Princeton University to archives and experts in the United States and Europe. Along the way, he uncovered previously unpublished photographs and letters, squadron diaries, and firsthand accounts that form the backbone of this work.
His previous work has appeared in Over the Front magazine, and he teaches at Thomas Jefferson University. Those Who Know the Sky is his first book.
The Research Journey
How a Father's Story Became a Book and Solved a Mystery
"As a young man, my father first told me of Hobey Baker — the hero, the legend, and the enduring mystery of his death. Years later, as a former homicide prosecutor and forensics professor, I set out to find the answers. What I discovered was far more than I ever expected."
The research for Those Who Know the Sky began with a single reference in a broader study of American athletes who served in the First World War. Hobey Baker's name appeared briefly — a Princeton legend, a hockey star, a fighter pilot who died under mysterious circumstances just after the Armistice. The details were sparse, the sources scattered.
What followed was more than ten years of archival work across three continents. Squadron records held at the National Archives in Washington. Letters preserved by Baker's Princeton classmates. French aviation records that had never been translated into English. The picture that emerged was far more complex — and far more moving — than any previous account had suggested.
The result is a biography that restores Hobey Baker to his rightful place in American history: not merely as a sporting legend or a casualty of war, but as a man who embodied the contradictions of his age — and paid for them with everything he had.
Credentials & Appearances
Background & Recognition
Education
- BA, Villanova University
- JD, Delaware Law School
Published In
- Over the Front Magazine, Spring 2025
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- [Publication 3]
Speaking
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