Oscar John Thomas Collection

Oscar John Thomas was born July 10, 1896, the second son and the fourth child of nine children born to the late Isaac and Emma Thomas of Trawick, Nacogdoches County, Texas, He spent his childhood days in the rural community in which he was born. His early training was received in the neighborhood school which was located one mile from his residence. After completing the ninth grade he passed a state examination and at the age of 17, taught a one teacher school one year. Realizing that his education had only begun he entered Prairie View State College the following year and enrolled in the sophomore normal class. He graduated from the normal department in the spring of 1920 and completed his college work in 1927, receiving the Bachelor of Science Degree in Agriculture. His first years of experience were in one teacher schools of Nacogdoches and Shelby Counties, where he taught alternate years while attending Prairie View State Normal. In August 1920, he began work at Texas College in Tyler, Texas as teacher of General Agriculture and the Farm Manager. While at Texas College, he married Bessie Aleda Hardeway of Ponta, Texas. After working at Texas College for three years, he accepted the position of Principal and Teacher of Vocational Agriculture in Cameron, Texas, where he served in these two capacities and taught high school mathematics for eight years. After completing his eighth year at Cameron, he was relieved of his work in Vocational Agriculture by another teacher. He served as principal and teacher of mathematics seven additional years. During his fourteenth year, the school was renamed in his honor as Oscar John Thomas High School. On July 13, 1938, Thomas accepted the position of State Itinerant Teacher Trainer in Vocational Agriculture at Prairie View State College. In addition to his regular duties as Teacher Trainer, he worked as the state adviser to the Texas Association of New Farmers of America. His professional activities included service as the President of the Teachers State Association, Regional Vice President of the American Teachers Association, and First Vice President of the American Teachers Association. He also served as President of the Prairie View Alumni Association for a period of six years and as Chairman of the Executive Committee of the Texas Interscholastic League of Colored Schools. In 1944, while studying at Prairie View State College, he conducted a study of successful practices and procedures used in the best cooperative teaching program, which evolved into his master’s thesis in Agricultural Education. His research was later published as a monograph titled Suggested Principles and Practices for Cooperative Teaching with Special Reference to Vocational Agriculture. Oscar John Thomas died on January 10, 1977, and he is buried in Prairie View Memorial Gardens Cemetery. You can also visit the PVAMU Faculty & Administrators Finding Aid PV Panther Project website https://pvpantherproject.com/project/oscar-john-thomas-papers/