Ruth E. Thomas

Ruth Elma Thomas was born on November 19, 1926 and died on November 23, 2020.[1] She was a well-renowned and widely respected educator and community leader in St. Thomas, United States Virgin Islands and spent most of her life an educator in various positions. During her life, she acquired many honors for her accomplishments.

Biography

Ruth E. Thomas was a product of Kogens Quarter also known as the Upstreet neighborhood, a district of Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas.[2] After graduating from Charlotte Amalie High School, she attended the City College of New York and later transferred to Fisk University where she graduated with a B.A in English in 1949.[1] She earned her M.S in linguistics from the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor in 1957.[1] She earned her Education Specialist degree in secondary school administration in 1970 from the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor.[1]

Thomas began teaching at Charlotte Amalie High School in 1949.[3] As an English teacher and later principal of Charlotte Amalie High School, she taught many of the well-known and outstanding United States Virgin Islands community leaders including Dr. Orville Kean, the 3rd president of the University of the Virgin Islands, Jeanette Smith-Barry, a former principal of Charlotte Amalie High School, and Gilbert Sprauve, a University of the Virgin Islands professor of linguistics.[1] She was a part-time faculty member of the University of the Virgin Islands and served as a member of its Board of Trustees.[3]

She retired as principal of Charlotte Amalie High School in 1982.[1] In total, Thomas served 33 years at Charlotte Amalie High School as a teacher and principal.[3]

Accomplishments and Honors

After retiring from her formal education career, Thomas was still involved in the advancement and improvement of the United States Virgin Islands community. She was a member of the Virgin Islands Partners for Health and the League of Women Voters. She was a board member of the Girl Scouts and the Community Foundation of the Virgin Islands.[3] Thomas also helped to begin the Thomas-Skelton-Stout group, a collaboration of her extended families, that awards yearly scholarships.[1]

The Virgin Islands Board of Education created a special legislative grant, 190z. Ruth E. Thomas Scholarship Fund for Teacher Education, that provides financial support to United States Virgin Islands educators pursuing graduate studies in elementary or secondary education.[4] In 2017, Thomas received an honorary doctorate degree from the University of the Virgin Islands.[3]

Congresswoman Stacey Plaskett released a press statement on November 24, 2020, offering her condolences to the family of Ruth E. Thomas. Plaskett recognized her service to the Virgin Islands community as an educator and public figure.[5] Attendees of her viewing at the Charlotte Amalie High School auditorium in her name, the Ruth E. Thomas Auditorium, were asked to give donations to the Ruth E. Thomas scholarship in lieu of flowers.[6] The auditorium was named after her in 1998 by the Virgin Islands Legislation. [3]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Remembering Ruth Thomas: A Stern but Beloved Principal". St. Thomas Source. 2020-11-24. Retrieved 2026-03-30.
  2. ↑ Moolenar, Ruth M. (2005). Legacies of Upstreet: the transformation of a Virgin Islands Neighborhood. St. Thomas U.S Virgin Islands: We From Upstreet Inc. ISBN 0-974 9430-0-2.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "UVI Mourns the Loss of Ruth E. Thomas". St. Thomas Source. 2020-12-03. Retrieved 2026-04-03.
  4. ↑ "190z. Ruth E. Thomas Scholarship Fund for Teacher Education". VIBOE. Retrieved 2026-03-30.
  5. ↑ "CONGRESSWOMAN PLASKETT OFFERS HER CONDOLENCES ON THE PASSING OF DR. RUTH E. THOMAS". Congresswoman Stacey E. Plaskett. 2020-11-24. Retrieved 2026-04-03.
  6. ↑ "Ruth E. Thomas". The Virgin Islands Daily News. 2020-12-12. Retrieved 2026-04-03.
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