Steve Thomas (class of 1948, biology)
was an excellent player on the Henry Lever-coached 1947 Linfield baseball team
which won the college's first Northwest Confernce title in that sport. After
graduating, he was an exceptional groundskeeper (director of campus grounds)
for Linfield from 1948 until his death in 1977. His duties included maintaining
Maxwell (football and track) Field and Linfield's baseball field. But, there
was so much more to his life. Read on …
Thirty-year
groundskeeper dies
McMinnville
News-Register, Oct. 19, 1977, page 1, with slight edits
Steve Thomas, director of campus grounds at Linfield College
for almost 30 years, died Tuesday morning after falling while pruning a maple
tree.
Thomas, 59, died en route to the University of Oregon Health
Sciences Center. Cause of death was massive head injuries, according to Tim
Marsh of UOHSC.
Using a small chainsaw and aluminum m fruit-picking ladder,
he was pruning a maple tree between Whitman and pioneer halls, starting about 8
o’clock Tuesday morning. Police detective Terry Ward said Thomas either lost
his balance or the ladder tipped. In falling, he struck his head on the
concrete curb.
After hearing the accident, which happened shortly before 11
a.m., Whitman Hall dormitory head resident Mike Mikkelson immediately called an
ambulance. Thomas was taken to McMinnville Hospital and then transferred to Portland.
He was pronounced dead at OHSU.
A 1948 graduate of Linfield, Thomas enrolled at the college
before World War II. After leaving for military service in the war, he returned
to complete his degree in biology.
After graduating, he began work as campus grounds director.
#
Steve
Thomas: “he made the campus come alive’
By Dick
Hughes, McMinnville News-Register, Oct. 19, 1977
When Linfield College groundskeeper Steve Thomas died
Tuesday, he left behind a flowering campus he has cared for as a student and
employee for more than 30 years.
With students gone this week for fall break and the U.S flag
at half-staff after his death, the campus was quiet yesterday. Faculty and
staff spoke about the loss they felt.
“He was a great person. He'll be missed, but he left a
monument on the campus, said President Emeritus Harry Dillin, who was the
college controller when Thomas was a freshman in 1940.
“We'll go through the campus and see Steve in the flowers.
The young people who are still to come, they’ll never know Steve but they’ll
see what he left them in a beautiful campus,
An outstanding athlete, with a special liking for baseball,
Thomas loved Oregon and Linfield.
In his senior year, when the biology student was unsure
whether to go into coaching, "I talked with him about sacrificing himself
to the maintenance field, to taking care of the grounds.
“He loved his flowers, I always considered him one of the
most important cogs in the Linfield family.”
Dillin said (Thomas) sometimes would come into the
president's office distraught because somebody had (run through his shrubbery
or cut his flowers apparently for office or home) decorations.
“He had three great loves – he family, he was a great family
man; the outdoors, he loved hunting and athletics; and Linfield, he loved the
campus.”
A 1948 Linfield graduate, Thomas immediately joined the
grounds staff full time. As the campus expanded, he helped designed then
landscaping.
The “Sounds of Linfield” phonograph record, produced in
1975-1976 includes Thomas mowing a lawn on an autumn afternoon. He was known by
many of the student for his work, and attendance at sports events and practices
and other events.
“For Linfield, said President Dr. Charles Walker,
"Steve was a hero.”
“He loved what he did and he used his biology training to
make the campus come alive.
“He never stopped learning and whenever there was a special
lecture, convocation; musical event or athletic game, Steve was there. He was a
sensitive human being whom we will miss deeply, but whose mark here will be
seen for decades.”
#
Editorial: Life of Steve Thomas had many important lessons
McMinnville
News-Register, Oct. 21, 1977
Instances of sudden, accidental death serve to remind us how
fleeting are our years in this life. The Tuesday fall which killed Steve Thomas
– Linfield college groundskeeper for 30 years –takes that reminder several
steps further.
Little can be added to commentary by two Linfield College
presidents published earlier this week. “He's a great person. He’ll be missed,
but he left a monument on the campus,” said the president emeritus. “Quietly he
did his job and much, much more to help the college,” said the current
president. “He was known and enjoyed by everyone.”
We have one supplementary thought.
The American family is suffering from a national divorce
syndrome which has produced great social problems in its wake; the American worker
too often displays concern only for money and lack of real pride in his work,
and mediocrity continues to creep into our lives through the resulting products
and services; the American social conscience slowly is being replaced by
government beauracracies, and a completely mobile population more and more
turning away from its own problems,
For each of these lamentable trends, there is an important
lesson in the life and example set by Steve Thomas. His family, his employer.
his friends and his community all reaped the benefits of his steadfast
devotion; his pride and integrity. We can think of few basic needs of today's
American society more important than to relearn the lessons provided by the
simple life of this one McMinnville man.
#
Obituary: STEPHEN THOMAS
McMinnville
News-Register, Oct. 21, 1977
Mass of Christian burial for Linfield college dirt of
grounds Stephen j Thomas, 59, McMinnville, was Oct 21, 1977, at St James
Catholic Church with the Rev. John Engel officiating.
Interment was in St. James cemetery. Rosary was Oct 20 at
the Chapel of Macy & son funeral director.
Mr. Thomas died Oct. 18 following an accident at Linfield.’
Son of Stephen J. and Helen Orosz Thomas was born April 13,
1918, at Barnesboro, Penn., where he was reared.
He began attending Linfield in 1939 with h[s study
interrupted by Army service during World War II. After returning to Linfield,
he was graduated with a biology degree in 1948.
Since then he had served as director of grounds.
He was a member of the McMinnville Men’s Garden Club, of
which he was past president; Portland branch of the American Rhododendron
Society; and the Elks Club
Survivors include his wife, Catherine, McMinnville, two son,
Dr. Stephen J. Thomas, Beaverton; and William J. Thomas, McMinnville; daughter,
Mary Darling, Corvallis; two brothers, John Thomas, Barnesboro, Penn., and
Joseph Thomas, Euclid, Ohio, three sisters Helen Madaio of Euclid, Ann Bauer of
North Haldon, N. J., and Betty Rubbo of Harrisburg, Penn., and five
grandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Steve Thomas
Memorial fund in care of Linfield College.
#
Death
Notice Oregonian Oct 20, 1977
THOMAS – Stephen J., late of McMinnville, Oct 18; husband of
Catherine; father of Dr. Stephen J. Thomas, Portland, William J. Thomas.
McMinnville; Mary Darling, Corvallis; brother of John, Joseph and Ann Bauer; 5
grandchildren. Recitation of the Rosary Thursday, Oct 20, 8: 15 p.m. at the
Chapel of MACY & SON, Mass Friday, Oct 21, 1:30 p.m. at St. James Catholic
Church, McMinnville, internment St. James Cemetery, and contributions may be
made to Steve Thomas Memorial Fund, care of Linfield College.
#
Catherine ‘Kay’ Veronica Thomas, widow of Steve Thomas
Catherine ‘Kay’ Veronica Thomas, widow of Steve Thomas
Corvallis, Ore., Gazette-Times,
March 16, 2006
Catherine "Kay"
Veronica Thomas of Corvallis died Sunday of natural causes at Stoneybrook Assisted Living.
She was 81.
Feb. 28, 1925 - March 12, 2006
She was born to Thomas "Tom" Harry Barker and Frances Elizabeth
Grennan in Trenton, N.J. She was raised from age 2 by her aunt Mary Agnes Coyle
in Jersey City. She graduated from Saint Michaels High School in the early
1940s.
Kay went to work in New York City, first as an office aide and then as a
telephone operator for AT&T.
She met a handsome sailor from Pennsylvania at a dance. In 1945 she married
that sailor, Stephen John Thomas, in Barnesboro, Penn., after he served as a
medic in World War II. The couple then moved to McMinnville, where Stephen
Thomas got a degree from Linfield College and then became the school's
groundskeeper.
They had four children. The youngest, James "Jim" John Thomas,
died in a car accident in 1973 when he was 21. Four years later, her husband
died in a work accident.
She then moved to Newport and later Portland, where she worked at an
information booth at Portland Community College's Sylvania campus. She retired
in 1987. In the early 1990s she moved to Corvallis. She moved into Stoneybrook
Lodge in 1999.
Kay enjoyed social dancing, including ballroom, clog and tap. She was a fan
of opera and the arts. In her later years she attended lifelong learning
classes at Oregon State University and worked as a liaison between the
Stoneybrook library and the Corvallis-Benton County Public Library Bookmobile.
She also served a term as head of the lodge's resident board.
Survivors include sons and daughters-in-law Stephen and Carole Thomas of
Portland and William and Sandra Thomas of Amity; daughter Mary Darling of
Corvallis; grandchildren Stephen John Thomas and wife Hiromi of Portland,
Jennifer Thomas of Portland, Brett Sweeden and wife Kari of McMinnville, Mark
Thomas and wife Cherise of San Francisco, Calif., Kari Haskell and husband
Brian of Las Vegas, Nev., Sarah Taylor and husband Shawn of Amity, Catherine
Eileen Darling of New York City, N.Y., and Dylan James Darling of Redding,
Calif.; and great-grandchildren Noah Thomas of Portland, and Abigail and Lucy
Haskell of Las Vegas, Nev.
Services have been held. She was cremated and then buried at Saint James
Cemetery in McMinnville.
Memorial contributions can be made to Benton Hospice Service, 2350 N.W.
Professional Drive, Corvallis, OR 97330, or Corvallis-Benton County Public
Library Bookmobile, 645 N.W. Monroe Ave., Corvallis, OR 97330.
……………….
April 18, 2008, Linfield
Review: "The triangular (Steve Thomas Memorial Garden) in front of Campbell
Hall remembers Steven J. Thomas, alumnus of the class of 1948. He served the
college as a landscaper and groundskeeper for many years, and he played an
important role in beautifying campus. He won several awards for new varieties of
rhododendrons he cultivated, one of which is now in full bloom in his memorial
garden. He died after falling while trimming a maple tree on campus in
1977."
Inscription on plaque in garden:
STEPHEN JOHN THOMAS
B.A. (1948)
Director of Campus Grounds
B.A. (1948)
Director of Campus Grounds
1948-1977
This memorial garden is dedicated to Steve Thomas, who for 29 years cared
for this campus with a very special dedication and made it more beautiful every
year.
===
Story in April 18, 2008,
Linfield Review ...
... includes
"There are no other
graves on campus, but there is one memorial. The triangular garden in front of
Campbell Hall remembers Steven J. Thomas, alumnus of the class of 1948. He served the college as a landscaper and
groundskeeper for many years, and he played an important role in beautifying
campus. He won several awards for new varieties of rhododendrons he cultivated,
one of which is now in full bloom in his memorial garden.
…………
=Memory Lane 6/13.
Published: June 13, 2006, McMinnville News-Register
50 years ago: The McMinnville city recreation softball season is set to
open at Baker Field. Pitcher Jerry Sherwood is leaving Sunshine to hurl for
VKV, where he will work for the summer. Bobby Collins and Steve Thomas have
signed on with the Linfield All-Stars. Jimmy Godwin will run the Sunshine team
and has picked up some of the players from the McMinnville High School
championship baseball club of this spring, including Larry Peterson and Jeff
Durham
=Memory Lane 3/28.
Published: March 28, 2006, McMinnville News-Register
50 years ago: Deserving special recognition as a result of their
outstanding work at the Quarterback club dinner for Mac High and Linfield
athletes are the member of the kitchen crew: Jim Lee, Cliff Elliott, Ogden
Cameron, Jim Craig, Ron Eborall, Donald Mabee, Eldore Baisch and Ezra Koch.
Master of Ceremonies Billy Maxwell also called upon each of the kitchen kings
to introduce one of the coaches in attendance. At the dinner, special coaching
recognition was given Steve Thomas and Red Porter.
=Looking back at Yamhill
County sports, McMinnville N-R, July 1, 2003
50 years ago, McMinnville N-R Sports Editor Paul Durham named his
outstanding performers in the McMinnville softball league, including: catchers
Red Austin, Darigold; Hal Cuffel, Sunshine Dairy; and Eldore Baisch, VKV;
pitchers Clarence Neubauer, VKV; and Jerry Sherwood, Sunshine; first basemen
Roy Krutsch, News-Register; Paul Halsor, Linfield All-Stars; Tom Teutsch,
Sunshine; and Dick Vollstedt, VKV; second baseman Scooter Rich, Sunshine;
shortstop Jack Lepper,. Walnut City Bowl; Bob Zuleger, VKV; third basemen Dick
Hiller, VKV; Grant Freuler, Darigold; and outfielders Pat Smith and Milt
Robins, VKV; Ken Myers and Steve Thomas, Sunshine; Joe Schmidt, Darigold; Jack
Leonard and Ernie White, Linfield All-Stars; and Jack Collins, News-Register.
……..
ANNUAL SHOW OF THE PORTLAND
CHAPTER, May 6 and 7, 1967
Source: Journal of the
American Rhododendron Society
The Show attracted 484 entries, from 46 exhibitors. Mr. George Clarke of
Portland was Show Chairman.
Trophy Winners included Peter
Binford Trophy, Best Spray of a Deciduous Azalea, 'Lancaster Occidentalis',
Steve Thomas, McMinnville, Ore.
…………………
WHITMAN LOSES PLAYOFF GAME
Spokane Spokesman-Review - May 24, 1947
McMINNVILLE, Ore. May 23. (AP) – A
Whitman college bobble in the 13th inning handed Linfield college a 4-3 victory
yesterday in the first game of the annual Northwest conference baseball
playoff.
Steve Thomas raced home with the
winning run when Haguewood, Whitman second baseman, fumbled Lee Reeder’s
infield bouncer. Thomas had singled when then moved to second when Dewey Halsey
was hit by a pitched ball.
It was a pitching duel all the way
with Dean Forsythe of Whitman giving up nine hits and Gene Peterson of Linfield
yielding six. Peterson helped his own cause with a trip that scored a run in
the second inning. Thomas was the hitting leader of the day, though, with three
singles in six trips.
Whitman 001 000 001 100 0 – 3 6 4
Linfield 020 020 000 000 1 – 4 9 4
Forsythe and Richardson. Peterson and Burr.
………………….
Lever led 'Cats to first conference baseball title
By Allen Moody of the McMinnville News-Register, July 28, 2005
The 1947 Linfield Wildcats
entered the baseball season with some pretty high expectations and they proved
the pundits correct by capturing the school first Northwest Conference title.
The Wildcats had 40 players
out for the team, including 15 lettermen, some of whom played for the Wildcats
during the previous year, while others played for Linfield before serving in
the armed forces.
"Many of us were
veterans," said Cecil Golden, a member of the Wildcats' 1947 team. "I
only had one year in the service. When I came to college, guys like Steve
Thomas was much older than I was."
The season didn't start out
quite the way Linfield had hoped, as the Wildcats dropped a 13-12 decision to
Vanport College of Portland in its opener and followed that up by dropping a
pair of games to Oregon State College, 5-0 and 6-1.
Gene Petersen threw a
shutout in a 6-0 victory over Montana to put the Wildcats in the win column,
only to see Montana come back and take the nightcap 6-4.
Ron Dunn pitched the
Wildcats past Vanport 4-1 in a rematch and the Wildcats were ready for
conference play.
"Gene Petersen was an
awfully good pitcher and Ron Dunn was too," Golden, a left-handed pitcher
said. "Bert Burr, the catcher could call throw the ball harder back to me
if I got in the game."
Burr's ninth-inning single
scored Dewey Halsey with the winning run in the 'Cats' conference opener
against Willamette, but Linfield dropped two of its next three games and was
2-2 in conference. But those would turn out to be the final two losses of the
season for the Wildcats, who won their final four conference games of the
season to finish at 6-2.
At that time, the NWC was
split into divisions, meaning the Wildcats would square off against Whitman for
the conference title.
"We had a very
primitive baseball diamond, but Henry Lever worked us hard to keep it up to
shape for games," Golden said. "All three conference championship
games were played at Linfield."
The first game of the series
proved to be pivotal, as Linfield scored an unearned run in the bottom of the
13th inning to grad a 4-3 victory. Thomas hit a one-out single and Halsey
walked, which brought Lee Reeder to the plate. His ground ball to the second
baseman went into the outfield, allowing Thomas to score and bring the game to
an end.
Petersen pitched all 13
innings, allowing just five hits to earn the win on the mound.
The second game was all
Linfield in the beginning, as the Wildcats took a 5-1 lead after three, but
four unearned runs in the fourth inning tied the game at 5. Golden came in to
relieve Dunn in the fifth inning and allowed just two hits while holding Whitman
scoreless the rest of the way to earn the win. Thomas and Halsey scored in the
seventh inning to give Linfield the 7-5 victory.
With the conference
championship wrapped-up, the Wildcats defeated Whitman 6-4 in the final game
behind Dunn.
"There was no big,
giant celebration because it was the end of the school year," Golden said.
"We didn't have big turnouts for games in those days like they do
now."
Petersen was awarded the
Jack Dempsey Trophy for being the outstanding athlete at Linfield.
Thomas was the team's
leading hitter, batting an impressive .472, while Halsey was second on the
'Cats, hitting .297. Petersen hit .292 and Clarence Mellbye finished the season
at .291.
"I would say we were
more of a running team," Golden said. "Steve Thomas only had one home
run, I believe."
NOTES: Thomas and Dunn each
had trophies named after them. The Steve Thomas Memorial Trophy went to the
baseball team's most valuable player from 1978 to 1995 and the Ron Dunn
Memorial Trophy has gone to the Wildcats' outstanding pitcher every year since
1983. ... Golden's high school coach at Rainer High School for several years
was none other than Roy Helser.
Photos
-- Steve from 1970 Linfield Oak
Leaves.
--Steve from May 19, 1969, McMinnnville
N-R
--Steve Thomas Memorial Garden on Linfield campus
