Returning the Favor
The scholarships Tom Thomas received when he was an electrical engineering bachelor’s and master’s degree student at Ohio State had such an impact on him that he still remembers their names — more than 40 years later.
“Back then, tuition was only $110 a quarter,” he says. “But for me that was a lot of money, because I had zero.” In fact, not long ago he looked up the scholarships to find out if they still exist.
Indeed, the W. Parl Townsend Memorial Fund and the John M. Gleason Scholarship Fund support students to this day. Those, along with a Stadium Dorm Scholarship, enabled Thomas to gain an engineering education and a skill he likes to describe as“fearless problem solving.” When he graduated in 1966, he was named the Outstanding Electrical Engineering Graduate in the United States by Eta Kappa Nu, the national electrical engineering honor society.
“I realized as the years went by that there was almost no problem in business I encountered that couldn’t be solved,” he says. “I credit the demanding problem-solving training I had in the College of Engineering for making me willing to tackle a wide range of issues.”
Thomas’ first job out of college was in technical computing for Ford Motor Co. Over the years, he worked for several computing companies, eventually spending seven years as a management consultant and investor specializing in helping computer software and service companies increase their growth and profitability. By 1990, he was owner and CEO of Creative Solutions Inc., which provides a comprehensive suite of PC software products to more than 35,000 U.S. accounting firms. In 1998, he sold the company to the Thomson Corp., where it continues to be led by the management team Thomas developed. He retired in 1999.
As his career progressed, he became concerned that there were not enough U.S. students willing to tackle the challenges of earning an engineering degree. He wanted to be helpful to individuals who had ability and energy but insufficient resources to follow in his footsteps.
Starting this fall, he’ll meet that goal through the establishment of the Thomas L. Thomas Engineering Scholarship Fund, which will provide four need-based scholarships, up to half of the cost of tuition, to academically superior freshmen engineering students. Preference will be given to Ohio residents interested in electrical and computer engineering or computer science and engineering, and the scholarships may be renewed for the sophomore year.
“I want to invest in talented students who need financial help and who are going to stay and use those skills here in this country,” he says. “I really think engineering skills are a vital part of our long-term national security and the country’s progress, and I want to play a small role inencouraging students to pursue engineering degrees.”
For more information regarding who to contact to support the College of Engineering, visit engineering.osu.edu/development .
