Alumni Relations
Faculty Highlights
The John R. Thomas Endowed Chair in Physical Chemistry
Giving Back
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John and Mitzie Thomas
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He first came to the University of California in 1939,
and for the next 62 years, until his death in May 2001, John R. Thomas
was closely affiliated with the College of Chemistry. Now, through the
loving generosity of his wife, “Mitzie,” his contributions to the
College will continue in perpetuity through the John R. Thomas Endowed
Chair in Physical Chemistry.
Born in 1921 in Kentucky, John moved to California with
his family in the 1930s. After graduating from Oakland High School, he
enrolled in the College of Chemistry and earned a B.S. in 1943 and a Ph.D.
in 1947, working with Professor William Gwinn. During World War
II, John was employed in research on chemical warfare and later, with
several other graduate students at the time, he worked on the Manhattan
Project.
He took a position with Chevron Research in 1948, but
the following year Professor Kenneth Pitzer, on leave to direct
research at the Atomic Energy Commission, persuaded John to join him in
Washington, D.C., as Assistant Chief of the Chemistry Branch of the AEC.
In 1951, John returned to Chevron, where he remained the rest of his career.
At Chevron, he did pioneering research on the combustion
of hydrocarbons and, with colleagues, he contributed important studies
on the chemistry of antioxidants, lubricants and detergents. Between 1968
and 1970, John moved rapidly from research scientist to president of Chevron
Research Company. In 1983, he was also named vice-president of Chevron
Corporation. He held both posts until his retirement from Chevron in 1986.
In 1990, the college successfully nominated him for the American Chemical
Society’s Earl B. Barnes Award for “leadership in chemical research management.”
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“Alumni…probably [donate] with a sense of ‘giving back’ opportunities to others which they felt were so valuable to them.” -John R. Thomas |
During his years at Chevron, John maintained a strong
interest in the activities of the college. He was instrumental in securing
Chevron’s financial support, and in retirement, he co-chaired the college’s
fund-raising efforts for building Tan Hall. During his lifetime, he and
Mitzie personally donated nearly $120,000 to Berkeley, primarily to the
College of Chemistry. From 1984 to 1990, he was also a trustee of the
U.C. Berkeley Foundation, from which he received the Trustees Citation.
He was a regular attendee at the Berkeley Fellows annual dinner, and he
and Mitzie never missed a college event.
Following John’s death, his wife of 57 years, Beatrice
“Mitzie” (nee Davidson), struggled to go on without him. The two had met
in a carpool while they were students at Berkeley, and her ties to the
university had been strengthened when she earned her teaching credential
through UC’s Internship Program after raising her family. A junior high
school teacher in Lafayette, she shared John’s interests in skiing, hiking,
the outdoors, and travel, and following their retirements they had particularly
enjoyed Bear Treks.
Mitzie wanted to do something to memorialize John, focusing on how she could best use her IRA to accomplish this purpose. With the endorsement of her children, Richard Thomas and Jonnie Jacobs, she decided on an endowed chair that would reflect John’s interest in research. She signed the paperwork in May 2003, and a few months later she, too, was gone. Their legacy, however, will live on indefinitely.
by Jane Scheiber
