Richard Palmer Thomas

Richard Palmer Thomas, The Friendly Storyteller, passed away at the age of 92 1/2 from colon cancer in Chicago, IL on May 22, 2022. Also popularly known as "Shake-A-Leg" or Oshegele (Oh-SHAY-gah-lay, an African name given to him during Chicago's 1960s Sankofa period), Richard was born on November 10, 1929 in Chicago to Sidney (nee Palmer) of MS and Samuel Thomas of AZ. In addition to his parents, his brothers, Phillip Thomas [1926-2002] and Samuel "BeBop" Thomas [1927-1988] preceded him in death.

Richard attended Chicago Public Schools: Edmund Burke Elementary, and DuSable High School where he and his brothers honed their musicality under the legendary Capt. Walter Dyett. Richard played the trumpet.

His mother highly prized education and made sure her boys had enriching experiences: a home library with encyclopedia set, a piano, early in-home music lessons, tap dance lessons, Sunday school, and Boy Scouts. His mother was a powerful example of faith and spirituality, activism in their education, and civic participation through her efforts with the church, PTA, NAACP and the Urban League. Skilled and handy with a 7th grade education, Richard's father taught his sons elements of plumbing, carpentry, blueprints, concrete mixing, electricity, machine sewing, shoe repair, root beer making.

After persistently and successfully lobbying Roosevelt University in Chicago to admit him in 1950 despite not having graduated high school, Richard earned a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics degree in 1958, with minors in physics and secondary education. During this time he worked briefly as a lab assistant at the University of Chicago under Willard F. Libby, known for research in radioactivity and radiocarbon dating. He later studied theology at the Chicago Center for Black Religious Studies.

Richard was public about his decades-long struggle with alcohol since high school which led to chronic homelessness, joblessness, and estrangement from family and community. Miraculously and triumphantly, with the support of AA and by the grace of the "God force," Richard achieved sobriety in 1985 and began to rehabilitate himself and his life.

From 1992 until about 2005 Richard was credentialed and worked as an Alcoholism Counselor. He became an inventor/creator of therapeutic, educational materials including an alcohol/drug - addiction/recovery board game under the names "Stagger Spin & Rise," "The Alcohol Drug Abuse Board Game," and "Choice N Consequence" which was in use for a time at Rikers Island Prison and other rehab settings and acknowledged by clinicians and professionals to have meaningful therapeutic value.

His other materials included a booklet "How to Get and Stay Sober," a talk therapy game "Pic N Ponder," informational booklets on scientific theories and amazing facts, greeting cards, poems, short stories, a "spiritual" autobiography, drawings and other works. He was also a substitute teacher in NYC public schools and a storyteller in schools and other venues. A lover of jazz and "Great Black Music," he highly enjoyed performing as a storyteller with AACM (Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians) and member musicians in NY and Chicago, most recently at the 2016 Hyde Park Jazz Festival with Douglas R. Ewart and Orbit.

Richard's matrilineal and patrilineal African ancestry has been traced to the Djola people in what is now Guinea-Bissau and the Bissa people in what is now Burkina Faso, respectively.

Richard married Susan Davidson in 1955 and they had two children. He is survived by son, Minor Thomas (Doris), daughter Althea Thomas Walton (Chaga); grandchildren Minor "Terry" Thomas (April), Brian Stevenson, Britteny Self (Steven), Daniel Thomas; great grandchildren Tyler, Sanaa and Lucas Thomas, Bremiya Kellum, Vivian Stevenson (also born Nov 10); former wife Earlean Golson-Thomas; sisters-in-law Maja Rios and Jean Thomas; niece Sharron, grandniece Keturah; other relatives and dear friends.

There was so much more to Richard than this brief summary of his life. At his core he was kind, humorous and "full of thought" with a creative, probing mind. He was fond of provoking thought and curiosity in others with playful shock and surprise in his message and expressive delivery. Ever the inquisitive educator, Richard's final contribution to knowledge and education was to the Anatomical Gift Association for scientific research after which he was cremated.

Inquiries may be made via text or voicemail to 773-330-3019.