Gerald "Gerry" Smith Thomas, Ph.D. '78, died of complications of Alzheimer's disease Aug. 16 in Ithaca. He was 75. He is survived by his wife, Susan H. Murphy '73, Ph.D. '94, Cornell vice president for student and academic services; daughters Sarah (Samuel) Taylor '86 and Julia Thomas '91 and their mother; and three grandchildren.

Thomas, who held various management positions at Cornell over the years, including deputy director of the Office of Human Resources, served in the Management and Executive Education Program in the ILR School before retiring in 1992.

In the mid-1950s, Thomas attended a year of college -- one of the first members of his Cincinnati, Ohio-based family to go to college -- while serving in the military. He earned his B.S. and M.S. at Ohio University and his Ph.D. in the field of education from Cornell in 1978.

Thomas held positions in personnel management, development and training at the International Nickel Co. before being hired in 1971 as the first management development and training manager in University Personnel Services at Cornell. Throughout his career, Thomas sought to help others succeed personally and professionally and was well known by Cornell staff, faculty and students and many others in the Ithaca community. He also wrote for a variety of publications with a focus on job development.

After retirement, Thomas pursued a variety of volunteer opportunities, including working in an Enfield Elementary School classroom. In 2007, the Cornell Retirees Volunteering in Schools program honored him with the Arlene C. Smith Volunteer of the Year Award. He also served on the board of directors at Family and Children's Services and at Longview, a residential senior retirement community.

In lieu of flowers, gifts can be made to the Gerald Smith Thomas Memorial Fund at Weill Cornell Medical College to support the Memory Disorders/Alzheimer's Disease Program. Checks should be made payable to Weill Cornell Medical College and sent to: Weill Cornell Medical College, Office of Development, 1300 York Ave., Box 123, New York, NY 10065. Individuals can also donate online at http://www.med.cornell.edu/ways-to-give by selecting "ways to give" and designating the gift as noted above.

A celebration of Thomas' life will take place Aug. 27 at 2 p.m. in Sage Chapel, followed by a reception.