The publication is reproduced in full below:
HONORING WILLIAM THOMAS, JR.
______
HON. H. MORGAN GRIFFITH
of virginia
in the house of representatives
Thursday, December 23, 2021
Mr. GRIFFITH. Madam Speaker, I rise in honor of William Franklin Thomas, Jr. of Pulaski, Virginia, who died on November 29, 2021 at the age of 87. Judge Thomas was a distinguished jurist who served for over two decades as a juvenile and domestic court judge.
Judge Thomas was born on January 2, 1934. He grew up in Pulaski and made it his lifelong home. After graduating from Pulaski High School in 1950, he attended Emory & Henry College and graduated from the University of Richmond. After earning a law degree from the University of Virginia, he began his legal career at the firm known at the time as Gilmer, Sadler, Harman & Thomas, mainly practicing real estate law.
In 1973, the Virginia General Assembly named him a Juvenile and Domestic Court Judge for the 27th Judicial Circuit. He sat on the bench until retirement on December 31, 1995, and served the Counties of Pulaski, Wythe, Carroll, Grayson, and Bland and the City of Galax. During his judicial career, Judge Thomas was widely respected for his commitment to the work and care for the children that came before him in court. As a symbol of the esteem in which Judge Thomas was held, the Pulaski County Bar Association commissioned a portrait of him, which now hangs in the county courthouse.
Beyond the bench, Judge Thomas found ways to serve his beloved Pulaski. He belonged to the Pulaski Jaycees, the Elks, and the Masons, and as a devout member of First United Methodist Church served on the Church Council. A keen interest in politics drove him to the 1960 Democratic National Convention as a delegate and to run in 2007 for the Virginia House of Delegates in the Sixth District.
Judge Thomas was preceded in death by his wife, Gertrude Davis Thomas; his parents, William Franklin Thomas Sr. and Virginia Saunders Thomas; and his sister, Elizabeth ``Betty'' Thomas Hicks. He is survived by a son, Lee Mason Thomas, and four nieces and nephews. I would like to offer my condolences on the loss of this good man and dedicated jurist.
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SOURCE: Congressional Record Vol. 167, No. 220
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