University of Nebraska Kearney - Blue and Gold Yearbook (Kearney, NE)

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Tribute to Dr. A. O. Thomas We honor ourselves, we honor the college in paying homage to Dr. Thomas who died January 30, 1935. Dr. Thomas died a very rich man. We arc not alone in our sense of loss, in our desire to pay tribute to a true friend, to a great man. Flowers, messages of sympathy, words of praise have come from almost every country in the world. Few men have been so universally mourned or so universally honored. Few have received greater encomium. Kearney State Teachers College has suffered a peculiarly personal loss, in the passing of Dr. Thomas who was the first president of our college. We were indeed fortunate to have so wise and so able a leader during our pioneer years. His spirit of tireless energy, undaunted courage, boundless faith, infinite patience, and his clear-seeing blazed the first lap of the Kearney College trail against great odds. He laid a broad, solid foundation upon which his successors have builded an institution of which we are justly proud. Though called to larger fields of endeavor, Kearney always held a warm place in Dr. Thomas’ heart. Busy as he was, honored as he was, he never lost his interest in the welfare of this college nor ambition for its progress. For as he laid the foundation stone upon stone, he dreamed that through the development of this institution he would realize his vision of education. During the years which have passed since Dr. Thomas left Kearney, this vision of what education could be, what it should be, guided him along the path which led to the heights where he stood out, a lone figure, as founder of the World Federation of Education Associations of which organization he was secretary-general at the time of his death. Dr. Thomas attained the acme of position and of recognition in his chosen field. His Kearney friends in the college and in the community followed his ever-widening sphere of influence and his phenomenal success with pride and satisfaction. Dr. Thomas’ inspirational leadership was most unusual, but he was more richly en- dowed with a genius for friendship. His was a warm, sincere friendship, with an eagerness to serve others. May I give a homely example? One evening as I was sitting on the porch, Dr. Thomas came along with a mattress on his back. After office hours he had visited a student quarantined for smallpox. Finding the bed unsuitable for a sick boy, he was taking him a mattress from his own home. Dr. Thomas rarely forgot a face. For each personality seemed to be another interesting chapter in the great living book of human nature. This explains in part Dr. Thomas’ uncanny ability to understand and to work with people. His philosophy was that one should learn and consider the other person’s point of view before reaching a decision or passing judgment. The world is better, richer for Dr. Thomas1’ long and useful life. A life that is a wonderful example of what a man of sterling character, high aspirations, unconquerable spirit, and of vision, can achieve. A life that is a challenge to each one of us. Page Nine