When R.W. “Tommy” Thomas began studying animal science at UT in 1965, he had his heart set on becoming a veterinarian. Unfortunately, a motorcycle wreck forced a change of plans.
Today, Thomas—retired from a career in insurance and risk management services—is helping aspiring veterinarians pursue their dreams at UT through the Ralph W. Thomas Jr. and Family Veterinary Medicine Endowed Scholarship program.
David White, interim dean for the Herbert College of Agriculture, and India Lane, an associate dean in the College of Veterinary Medicine, say the Thomas family’s endowment is one example of how donors support students. Donor and institutional funds provide nearly $1 million in scholarships each year in Herbert and $600,000 each year in the College of Veterinary Medicine.
“The Thomas Scholarship is unique in that it follows a student from animal science undergraduate completion into veterinary school,” Lane says.
White echoes that. “The generosity of Tommy and his passion to help are a critical piece to our students’ successful transition from animal science undergraduate to veterinary medicine professional.”
Thomas’s Story
Thomas was born in Columbia, Tennessee, and now lives in Pickwick, a small town near the point where Tennessee, Mississippi, and Alabama meet.
Animals have played a big role in his life.
“My grandfather gave me a horse when I was two,” Thomas says. “He was a mule trainer, and he raised Irish setters.
By high school, Thomas knew he wanted to be a veterinarian.
The UT College of Veterinary Medicine wasn’t established until March 1974, so Thomas planned to transfer to Auburn University for veterinary school after completing his bachelor’s degree in animal science at UT.
But two years into his undergraduate studies, Thomas was riding his motorcycle on Cumberland Avenue near Seventeenth Street when he was hit by a car. His leg was crushed.
Sitting out a semester to recuperate put Thomas behind, and his adviser suggested he consider an alternative to veterinary school.
“I was brokenhearted, and my life was turned upside down,” he says. He changed his major to business.
After graduation and a stint in the US Army, Thomas earned his MBA from the University of Memphis and began a successful forty-year career in insurance and risk management.
In 2013, Thomas, his wife, Fran, and their family decided they wanted to create a scholarship at UT.
Remembering his dream of becoming a veterinarian and recognizing how veterinarians had cared for his family’s animals over the years, Thomas chose to create a fund that encourages promising animal science majors in Herbert to continue their studies in UT’s College of Veterinary Medicine.
With Thomas’s initial pledge of $25,000 over two years, the first scholarship was awarded in 2014. His subsequent gifts, along with grants he’s secured for the program, have allowed annual scholarships to be awarded. An endowed fund will make the program self-sustaining.
Each year, a senior is selected by faculty to receive $1,500 per semester. If that student continues into the College of Veterinary Medicine, the scholarship provides $1,500 per semester during the four years of veterinary training.
In addition to this program, Thomas has established the Thomas Family Educational Enhancement Fund for the College of Veterinary Medicine to subsidize elective courses and procure instructional materials. He’s also established a scholarship that benefits members of his fraternity, Sigma Nu, and he’s supported UT Chattanooga softball to honor his granddaughter, Emily Ann Coltharp, who earned two championship rings playing softball there. She graduated from UT Chattanooga in May with an MBA.
Thomas says he hopes his story inspires others to give back, either by adding to his endowment fund or finding their own ways to support UT if they are able.
Helping Students Achieve a Dream
Selina Boone, now a third-year veterinary student, remembers the moment she decided she wanted to be a large animal vet. An adviser summoned her from a Future Farmers of America meeting in high school to help with a cow that was having a difficult birth. “In my pencil skirt and my heels, I went down to the barn. I threw on some muck boots, and I pulled a calf with her. From that moment on, it really sparked my love for veterinary medicine and what we can do to intervene to give animals the best outcome possible.”
Being awarded the Thomas Family Veterinary Medicine Endowed Scholarship as an animal science senior in Herbert was a vote of confidence. “Even before I was accepted into veterinary school, they saw potential in me,” she says.
Kaitlyn Spence, a second-year veterinary student from Cleveland, Tennessee, says she grew up around animals because her grandparents raised cattle. “There were many times when I was growing up when we needed a veterinarian, and we couldn’t reach one,” she says.
Now, as a veterinary student, “When we go out on farm calls, we get to have one-onone experiences with the farmers. One day, I hope, when they need a veterinarian, I can be of assistance to them.”
Spence attended Chattanooga State Community College and then transferred to UT to complete her bachelor’s degree in animal science. She was awarded the Thomas family’s scholarship her senior year.
“As we all know, vet school is expensive, but it’s something I’ve been passionate about since I was in third grade,” Spence says. “Scholarships have helped me make my dream come true.”
Explore More on
Features
MORE FROM THIS ISSUE
