Glenn N. Thomas Ph.D.

Glenn Nichols Thomas, a member of the emeritus faculty in the College of Business at Kent State University, died on January 21, 2017 at the age of 70 after a long and courageous battle with cancer. The son of the late Lewis V. Thomas, a noted scholar of Turkish Language and Literature at Princeton University, and the late Dr. Ethel N. Thomas, he was born in Istanbul, Turkey on July 27, 1946. He grew up in Princeton, New Jersey and summered often in Turkey where his father did extensive research on the Ottoman Empire. Thomas began his education at Princeton Country Day School and subsequently graduated from The Taft School in Watertown, Connecticut. While a teenage participant in the Experiment for International Living, he lived in The Netherlands where he developed a keen interest in European history. He received a BA degree in that field from Stanford University in 1968, and then pursued graduate studies in business at the University of Washington. He was awarded an MBA in 1973 and a doctorate in management information systems in 1977. In 1976 he was recruited by Kent State University as one of the first two information sciences faculty in the College of Business. During a teaching career that spanned more than 35 years, Thomas was a founding member of the Center for Information Systems, served as associate dean of the College of Business where he oversaw design and construction of the Business School Annex, and served one year stints as acting chair of the Accounting Department and as a member of the Faculty Senate. He served for many years as the coordinator of the information systems curriculum and was responsible for the introduction of email and computer labs into the College of Business. He was a finalist for the University's Distinguished Teaching Award in 2004 and 2006. Thomas's research publications focused on relational data bases, database systems conversion, and the effective use of computer technology in healthcare, banking and other industries. But his greatest joy as an educator was being in the classroom with students, and he followed with pride the careers of those whom he had taught and mentored. He was an avid basketball fan, cheering on both the Kent State women and men's teams as a season ticket holder for many years. Thomas is survived by his wife of 48 years, Jeanette (Jay), by his son Justin, and by a host of extended family members, friends, and colleagues who admired his integrity, his judgement, and his kindness. He will be sorely missed. In keeping with his wishes, end of life services will be private, but the family welcomes condolences and personal recollections via the Bissler & Sons Funeral Home website: www.bisslerandsons.com. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests contributions in his memory to the CIS Student Enrichment Fund in the Kent State College of Business (Mail to Dept. of Management and Information Systems, College of Business, Kent State University, Kent, OH 44242) or to a charity of one's choice.