ALEXANDRIA, Va. — The American Geosciences Institute (AGI) is saddened to share the news that colleague and friend Dr. William A. "Bill" Thomas passed away on October 1, 2022. Dr. Thomas had been serving as a Visiting Scientist at the Geological Survey of Alabama since 2010, and he was the James S. Hudnall Professor Emeritus of Geology at the University of Kentucky. He was also Professor of Geology at four additional institutions and a geologist at Chevron Oil in his early career. Dr. Thomas served as Treasurer of AGI (1997-1999) and President of the Geological Society of America (2004-2006). In 2018, Dr. Thomas received AGI's Marcus Milling Legendary Geoscientist Medal in recognition of his impactful scientific achievements and service to the Earth sciences.

"Bill was a powerful, positive force in the geoscience community, leading not only through his work in research, teaching, and numerous publications and presentations worldwide, but also in his service to geoscience professional societies," said AGI Executive Director Jonathan Arthur. "I was looking forward to working with him and appreciated his focus and passion for geoscience outreach." Dr. Thomas was to become President Elect of the AGI Board of Directors later this month. This obituary for Dr. Thomas offers a summary of his extensive career and family.

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The American Geosciences Institute (AGI), a federation of scientific and professional associations representing over a quarter-million geoscientists, is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to serving the geoscience community and addressing the geoscience needs of society. AGI headquarters are in Alexandria, Virginia.
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Contact:
Geoff Camphire, Communications
gac@americangeosciences.org