Roland Thomas Obituary

Thomas
ROLAND E. THOMAS
April 12, 1930 March 23, 2019
Roland E. Thomas, age 88, of Scottsdale, Arizona passed away peacefully March 23, 2019. Ron was born April 12, 1930 in Austin, Texas.
He was reared and educated in Las Cruces New Mexico, graduating from New Mexico State in 1952. Upon graduation, he was commissioned in the United States Air Force and served for more 26 years before retiring in the grade of Brigadier General. Roland earned a Master's of Science in Electrical Engineering from Stanford University and a Doctorate Degree from the University of Illinois.
In 1959, he was competitively selected to serve on the faculty of the newly established U.S. Air Force Academy. In 1964, he received a Presidential appointment as the Academy's fourteenth permanent professor. In 1966, he was appointed as the head of the Electrical Engineering department where he served until retiring from the military in 1979. Following his military service, Ron worked in the defense industry and founded an independent consulting firm in 1985. He remained involved with engineering education by serving on numerous accrediting committees for the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET). He retired from private practice in 2002. His popular textbook, The Analysis and Design of Linear Circuits, is now in its 8th edition and will continue being updated and published by his coauthors.
As a lifelong resident of Arizona, Colorado and New Mexico, he enjoyed learning the history of the area, hiking in the mountains, skiing, camping with his family, exploring historic sites, and attending basketball team reunions at New Mexico State University.
Ron was preceded in death by his beloved wife of 63 Years, Juanita (Rhodes) Thomas and his brother Stanley. He is survived by daughters Lynnette of Kodiak, AK and Christine of Boston, MA, his son Lee of Columbia, MD, six grandchildren, and one great grandchild.