November 30, 2016
Dear Members of our Campus Community,
I am saddened to share with you the news that Professor Emeritus Robert Murray Thomas passed away in Paso Robles on November 4, 2016.
A brilliant teacher and scholar, Dr. Thomas joined our campus in 1961 as a visiting professor and became a tenured professor the following year. He served as the first Dean of what is now our Gevirtz Graduate School of Education, a position he held from 1964 to 1969. His visionary leadership of the school at its inception laid the foundation for what is today one of the best graduate education programs in the country. During his three decades of service, he taught classes on educational psychology and directed our program in international education. He retired as Professor Emeritus in the Department of Education in 1991.
Professor Thomas, who earned his doctorate from Stanford University, continued writing academic books, journal articles, encyclopedia entries, and book reviews well after he retired. I understand he was still publishing until last year. He authored more than 400 professional publications throughout his career, including 57 books for which he served as author, coauthor, or editor.
Murray began his career in education as a high school teacher at Kamehameha Schools and Mid-Pacific Institute in Honolulu. He then transitioned to teaching at the college level – first at San Francisco State University, then State University of New York at Brockport, and later Padjadjaran University in Indonesia. He also conducted cultural research in American Samoa and Indonesia.
Our hearts and thoughts go out to Professor Thomas’s family, friends, and colleagues. In honor of his memory and in remembrance of his many contributions, our campus flag will be lowered tomorrow, December 1.
Henry T. Yang
Chancellor