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In Loving Memory Of
Professor
Robert E. Thomas, 87, Urbana passed away at 5:22 a.m. Sunday, Aug. 30, 2009,
at Carle Foundation Hospital, Urbana.
A
celebration of life service was held at 3 p.m. Monday, Sept. 28, at Wesley
United Methodist Church, 1203 W. Green St., Urbana. Professor
Thomas was born Nov. 25, 1921, in Hundred, WV, the son of Garfield and Rena
Main Thomas. He
is survived by several nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his
sisters Ruth Thomas Taylor and Hazel Thomas Milliken. A
native of West Virginia, he began his college studies at West Virginia
University in 1939. His education was interrupted by nearly four years of army
service in World War II. Upon discharge, after completion of his tour of duty
in Europe with the 1263rd. Engineer Combat Battalion, he completed his
undergraduate degree in 1947. He earned his master’s degree from Teachers
College of Columbia University in 1948 and his doctoral degree from the
University of Illinois in 1957. Professor
Thomas joined the School of Music faculty at the Univ. of Ill. in 1962. There
he began to teach undergraduates and graduates at the school, travel the state
to develop in-service education centers, and established the Lincoln-Thornburn
Demonstration Center, a research/demonstration/ observation
center for the training of music teachers. Pursuing
his particular interest in music education, Professor Thomas also directed the
Music Learning Center at Holy Cross School in Champaign, which he established
in 1978. At the center he coordinated the Early Field Experiences, through
which Univ. of Ill. students earned credit by observation and participation.
He also flew all over the state to provide service, research and instruction
through extension lectures, seminars and workshops. He received awards for
both excellence in undergraduate teaching and off-campus graduate teaching. After
a 27 year career at the Univ. of Ill. he retired as Professor Emeritus of
Music Education in Aug. 1989. He was then able to pursue more fully his
passion for historic English houses, continue his lifelong interest in
collecting antique china, glass, and furniture, immerse himself in the world
of painting and sculpture, paint, write, cook, and deepen his knowledge in all
his areas of interest through travel, courses, lectures, and reading. Memorials
may be made to the Dr. Robert E. Thomas Endowment Fund at the Univ. of Ill.
The endowment fund will provide annual awards to outstanding students in music
education at the School of Music. To contribute, please send a check payable
to UIF/School of Music, with "Dr. Robert E. Thomas Endowment Fund"
entered on the memo line, to Univ. of Ill. Foundation, P.O. Box 3429,
Champaign, IL 61826. To make a gift online, go to www.uif.illinois.edu,
select "make a gift now" and then "other" and enter
"School of Music-Dr. Robert E. Thomas Endowment Fund" where
indicated. A
memorial service will be held at the Tennant Funeral Home in Hundred, WV on
November 22, 2009. Friends will be
accepted from 1:00 PM to the time of the service at 2:00 PM.
You
may send condolences to the family at www.tennantfuneralhome.com.
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