Nancy White Thomas

THOMAS, Nancy White, widow of Dr. John Newton Thomas, died on October 7, 2008 at the age of 103. She was born in Marion, Alabama, the daughter of George Phillips and Nannie Ezelle White. She is survived by her son, John Newton Thomas Jr. of Decatur, Georgia.; and her daughter, Nancy Thomas Hill of Richmond; three grandchildren, John Newton Thomas III of Decatur, Georgia, Elizabeth Thomas Starling of Bryson City, North Carolina, and Philip White Thomas of McDonough, Georgia; and four great-grandchildren. She received B.A. and B.M. degrees from Judson College in Marion. She also studied at the Presbyterian School of Christian Education in Richmond and at the University of Edinburgh, Scotland. Mrs. Thomas wrote many articles on church music, particularly the study of hymns, and taught at PSCE and Union Seminary. She was an active member of Grace Covenant Presbyterian Church for over 70 years, where she was a Sunday School teacher and President of the Women of the Church. Her activities in the community have included President of The Junior League of Richmond, member of the Boards of William Byrd Community House, Presbyterian School of Christian Education, Americans for Effective Law Enforcement (Virginia), and The Richmond Arts Council. Beginning in 1966, her primary focus was in the field of criminal justice. She volunteered to work with the Richmond Bureau of Police and was the first civilian to be permitted to attend the Basic Police Training School in order to be able to represent the police to the community. Mrs. Thomas helped to foster excellence in the police force by establishing awards for academic excellence and marksmanship for the graduating recruit classes. She was instrumental in helping to set up the first Police-Community Relations Unit and was particularly interested in the K-9 Corps and the Richmond Mounted Squad. Over the years, she cultivated many friendships with the police and their families. Mrs. Thomas was the first civilian awarded the Richmond Bureau of Police Badge for Meritorious Service and a room in the new Police Academy was named for her. Her association with the police lead her to work with the women in the city jail, where she began a volunteer program to provide recreation, instruction and inspiration to the inmates. She worked in the criminal justice area to start a local branch of Volunteers in Probation and an Offender Aid and Restoration Program in the jail, and she also assisted the Commonwealth's Attorney in beginning a Victim-Witness Aid Program. Mrs. Thomas received the Kiwanis Good Citizenship Award, The Junior League Barbara Ransome Andrews Award for outstanding community service, and the Outstanding Alumnae Award from Judson College. In 1970 she was Richmond's Christmas Mother. Mrs. Thomas was a member of The Junior League of Richmond, The Country Club of Virginia, The Woman's Club, The Hymn Society of America, the Altrusa Club, the National Police Canine Association, The Police Benevolent Association and Friends of the Richmond Mounted Squad. Funeral services will be held at Grace Covenant Presbyterian Church on Friday, October 10, at 11 a.m., followed by burial in Hollywood Cemetery. The family will receive friends at Mrs. Thomas' residence and in the church social room prior to the service.
This obituary was originally published in the Richmond Times-Dispatch.