Honoring Montcalm Tom Thomas

Montcalm Tom Thomas, who helped pioneer the establishment of the Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory (EMSL), died May 2. He was 85. 

Thomas began his career in physics after earning an undergraduate degree in 1957 from the University of Connecticut. In 1966, he was awarded a PhD in physics from Brown University. As a scientist, Thomas was intrigued with how the surfaces of materials affected their properties. Much of his research was conducted before modern surface analysis tools were available.

He and his family moved west when Thomas began teaching physics at Washington State University in Pullman. He came to work at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) in the early 1970s and was instrumental in forming a research team to study plasma-wall interactions related to fusion energy.

In the mid-1980s, Thomas worked for a year in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, where he consulted on the design of the King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, an advanced materials laboratory. His experience overseas played a significant role in guiding the development of EMSL. In 1987, Thomas joined the EMSL project team to establish the user facility.

Thomas served as an EMSL project manager from 1989 to 1991 and was the EMSL operations manager before he retired in 1995. The MT Thomas Outstanding Postdoc Award was created in his honor at his retirement. The award is given out annually to honor postdoctoral researchers who conduct work at EMSL.

Within the professional community, Thomas was an active member of the American Vacuum Society (AVS). He contributed to the society’s formation of the Applied Surface Science Division (ASSD) and organized numerous conferences on quantitative surface analysis. As a founding member of the American Society of Testing and Materials (ASTM) committee on surface analysis, Thomas worked to advance modern surface analysis methods. He also helped create the International Organization for Standards (ISO) committee on surface chemical analysis.

Those who worked with Thomas remember him fondly.

Allison Campbell, who served as the EMSL director for more than a decade, called Thomas a “true gentleman.” Gerry Stokes, a retired PNNL manager, said Thomas was a great contributor to the lab who had a steady hand and a kind way.

“Significant contributor just begins to describe his contribution,” Stokes said. “He made others successful in extraordinary ways.”

Cedric Powell, a retired fellow with the National Institute of Standards and Technology, interacted professionally with Thomas for 20 years.

"Tom was a tower of strength in the early years of ASTM E-42," Powell said. "(He) contributed to the formation of the ASSD within AVS and helped in forming the direction of ISO/TC 201 in its early days. He was also the first leader of the U.S. delegation to ISO/TC 201 meetings. Tom and I worked closely together in those years. I will miss him."

Outside of PNNL, Thomas volunteered with Habitat for Humanity and was the president of the Tri-Cities chapter for many years. After his retirement, he and his wife, Norma, moved to Manson, Washington, where he served on a hospital board. He and Norma were married for 57 years. She preceded him in death.

Read more information on Thomas and his memorial service here.