CEE Professor Emeritus Jerome F. Thomas passed away on Nov. 7, 2019. He was 97.
Professor Thomas joined the CEE faculty in 1948 as a Teaching Assistant and rose through the ranks to full professorship in 1965. He taught in the Department until his retirement in 1987.
He received his BS in Chemistry from De Paul University in Chicago in 1942 and his PhD in Physical Organic Chemistry from UC Berkeley in 1950.
Professor Thomas's expertise was in applied chemistry. He used his expertise in chemistry to work on a wide range of civil engineering problems including corrosion, fire and explosions, plastics, hazardous waste, and water and wastewater treatment. Federal, State and City governments, as well as a variety of industries, frequently sought his expertise as consultant.
"Jerry Thomas taught me how to use my chemical knowledge for solving practical problems, and the way in which he taught his chemistry classes ensured that civil engineering students also learned how to do this," said Professor Emeritus David Jenkins.
Professor Thomas also served as a consultant to both the National Academy of Sciences and the National Science Foundation and was an Adjunct Professor to the Environmental Protection Agency.
Professor Thomas held five patents for methods and apparatus for the destructive decomposition of organic materials. He co-authored the book, "Industrial Water Chemistry" (1973).
Professor Thomas was a member of the American Chemical Society (air and water pollution sections), Sigma Xi, and the American Water Works Association. De Paul University named him a Distinguished Alumnus.
Professor Thomas holds a special place in the CEE Department as the creator of the "Greeting Bear" a departmental landmark on the 7th floor of Davis Hall. The bear was carved as part of a series of art projects undertaken in Thomas's freshman seminar, "Wood Sculpting and Related Art."
Professor Thomas was an award-winning wood carver who taught a course on the "nearly lost" American art form. It is the first Cal Bear carved in wood, all previous Cal Bears have been cast or carved in bronze or stone.
Countless students have had their photo taken with the Greeting Bear over the years. Each May, the bear puts on his graduation cap and gown and waves to students as they depart.
Funeral services will take place at Saint Mary Magdalen Church, 2005 Berryman Street in Berkeley on Saturday, Nov. 23 at 10am. A reception in the Parish Hall will follow.
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