Thomas Brighton

Thomas Arthur Brighton (January 22, 1943 - June 2, 2005) was an American real estate agent, entrepreneur, and businessman. He is most well known for founding Vista Parks in 1974 with his younger brother, Ken Brighton, and establishing the Arnie Dillo's Pizza Palace chain of family entertainment centers.

Early life
Brighton was born in. His father was a Polish Jew who fled the country following it's invasion by the Nazis, and his mother was the daughter of the owner of a local ranch, which Brighton's father would ultimately inherit following his passing. Brighton would spend the first few years of his life working on his father's ranch; he would later go on record to say that his experiences laboring on the ranch were what piqued his interest in technology and engineering marvels. When Brighton was 8 years old, he and his parents moved to, having sold the ranch for a large sum of money.

Early career: 1965-1971
After graduating from in 1965, Brighton would move back to Illinois to set up a real-estate business. He would spend the next few years setting up connections in the industry and doing business. It was also through this job as a real-estate agent that he would meet Lucille Brighton, whom he would marry in 1968, as well as Christopher R. Carwardine, who he would later become close business partners and friends with.

Theme parks and BBECO: 1971-1983
In 1971, shortly after his graduation from college, Brighton's younger brother, Ken Brighton, offered to take him on a vacation to Texas with his fiancee, Bianca Fletcher. Brighton obliged, and on said vacation, the two brothers would end up stopping by in Arlington. Brighton was highly impressed by the park's elaborate theming and attractions, and, according to Ken's own testimony, repeatedly stated over the course of the trip that "they should have something like this over in Peoria".

Illness and death
By the 1990s, Brighton's health had begun to decline, largely due to his increasingly sedentary lifestyle. The first record of his poor health was in 1992, when Leland Norris, the CFO of BBECO at the time, controversially referred to him as a "fat, washed-up heart attack waiting to happen" during a business meeting. By 1995, Brighton had been diagnosed with both and ; however, this did little to curb his poor habits.

On October 17, 1995, Brighton suffered a massive hemorrhagic stroke while at a family reunion at his home in. While engaging in a conversation with his second-eldest son, C.J. Brighton, Thomas suddenly collapsed, prompting C.J. to run inside the house and call an ambulance. He was rushed to in Naperville, where he spent a few days on life support while doctors attempted to stop the bleeding in his brain. He would eventually be resuscitated on the morning of October 21, 1995; by then, he had already suffered substantial brain damage, and had lost most of his motor function control, as well as his ability to speak.

Trivia

 * As with most members of his family, Brighton was Jewish; his faith is the main reason why kosher pizza is an option at most Arnie Dillo's locations.
 * His favorite ride at Brighton Lake was reportedly The Last Stand.