FRANKLIN THOMAS

THOMAS--Franklin A., '56CC, '63LAW, Former Trustee. The President and Trustees of Columbia University mourn the passing of Franklin A. Thomas, former Trustee, alumnus, star athlete, benefactor, and cherished friend of the University. Long before his trailblazing career achievements, he began making history at Columbia. While attending Franklin K. Lane High School in Brooklyn, Thomas fielded several basketball scholarship offers, eventually choosing an academic scholarship at Columbia. He finished his Columbia Lions career as both the single-season and career rebounding leader--records that stand today. In the 1955-56 season, Thomas was voted the team's most valuable player and became the first Black student-athlete to captain an Ivy League basketball team. As a student leader off the court, he worked with Columbia's NAACP organization to help increase admissions of Black students. He also worked on an NAACP investigation of racial discrimination by landlords in Morningside Heights. A 1956 graduate of Columbia College, Thomas also earned a law degree from Columbia in 1963 after serving four years as a navigator in the United States Air Force. After law school, Thomas embarked on a long and remarkable career, marked by his determination to break boundaries and dedication to serving others. From 1967-77, he was the President and CEO of the Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation. He served as a University Trustee from 1969-75, and in 1979, the University awarded him an honorary degree. That same year, he was elected president of the Ford Foundation, where he increased the organization's endowment to $7 billion before stepping down in 1996. From 2001-06, he was chair of the September 11 Fund, created by the New York City Community Trust and the United Way of New York City. The Fund assisted victims, their families, and affected communities in the aftermath of the September 11, 2001 attacks. He was awarded prizes and honors from many institutions, including his Alma Mater, which conferred on Thomas the John Jay Award for public service, the Alexander Hamilton Award for distinguished service to Columbia, the Law School's Medal for Excellence, and the alumni Medal of Excellence. He was inducted into the Columbia University Athletics Hall of Fame in 2010. Mr. Thomas is survived by his second wife, Kate Whitney; his sons, Keith and Kyle; his daughters, Hillary Thomas- Lake and Kerrie Thomas- Armstrong; his stepchildren, Andrea Haddad, Camila "Lulie" Haddad, and Laura Whitney-Thomas; 16 grandchildren; and four great- grandchildren. We offer condolences to them, his extended family, and all who feel his loss. Franklin's path-breaking achievements, leadership, commitment to Columbia, and his decades-spanning career of civic leadership and service to New York City are an inspiration to us all.