Robert K. Thomas was a professor of English at Brigham Young University

Brigham Young University

Brigham Young University is a private university located in Provo, Utah. It is owned and operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , and is the United States' largest religious university and third-largest private university.Approximately 98% of the university's 34,000 students...

 (BYU) as well as the founder of that university's honors program and later the academic vice president of BYU.

Thomas studied at Reed College

Reed College

Reed College is a private, independent, liberal arts college located in southeast Portland, Oregon. Founded in 1908, Reed is a residential college with a campus located in Portland's Eastmoreland neighborhood, featuring architecture based on the Tudor-Gothic style, and a forested canyon wilderness...

 in Oregon. It was here he saw the benefits of a small college with close interaction between students and faculty. Thomas went on to receive an M.A. from the University of Oregon

University of Oregon

-Colleges and schools:The University of Oregon is organized into eight schools and colleges—six professional schools and colleges, an Arts and Sciences College and an Honors College.- School of Architecture and Allied Arts :...

 and a Ph.D. in English from Columbia University

Columbia University

Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...

. He joined the BYU faculty in 1951.

After joining the BYU faculty Thomas convinced Ernest L. Wilkinson

Ernest L. Wilkinson

Ernest Leroy Wilkinson was an American academic administrator and prominent figure in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints . He was president of Brigham Young University from 1951 to 1971 and also oversaw the entire LDS Church Educational System. Prior to this, Wilkinson was a lawyer...

 and other administrators to form the honors program. When the honors program was formed in 1959 he was appointed its director. In 1963 Richard D. Poll

Richard D. Poll

Richard Douglas Poll was an American historian, academic, author and member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints . His liberal religiosity influenced his notable metaphor about "Iron Rod" vs. "Liahona" LDS Church members. -Biography:Poll was born in Salt Lake City, where he lived...

 was appointed the associate director to assist Thomas. In 1965 Richard L. Bushman became a second associate director. Thomas ended his term as head of BYU's honors program in 1967 when he became academic vice president. Thomas retired from BYU in 1983. Among students who Thomas had a significant influence on while at BYU were John W. Welch

John W. Welch

John Woodland "Jack" Welch is an LDS law and religion scholar who currently teaches at the J. Reuben Clark Law School at Brigham Young University .- Biography :...

 and Allen E. Bergin.

Along with Bruce B. Clark Thomas co-authored the five volume series, Out of the Best Books. He also wrote multiple articles that examined the literary qualities of the Book of Mormon

Book of Mormon

The Book of Mormon is a sacred text of the Latter Day Saint movement that adherents believe contains writings of ancient prophets who lived on the American continent from approximately 2600 BC to AD 421. It was first published in March 1830 by Joseph Smith, Jr...

.

Thomas was a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He served in various calling in the Church including as a bishop, stake president and president of the Australia Melbourne Mission.

The BYU Honors program offers a scholarship named for Thomas. A collection of Thomas' speeches, edited by Daryl R. Hague is scheduled to be published by BYU Studies

BYU Studies

BYU Studies is a multidisciplinary journal dedicated to publishing articles on a broad array of topics related to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints...

 in 2011.
BYU also has a Robert K. Thomas professorship in the J. Reuben Clark Law School

J. Reuben Clark Law School

The J. Reuben Clark Law School is a professional graduate school located in Provo, Utah at Brigham Young University. Founded in 1973, the school is named after J. Reuben Clark, Jr.—former U.S. Ambassador, Undersecretary of State, and LDS Church General Authority—and its charter dean was former...

 which was held by John W. Welch

John W. Welch

John Woodland "Jack" Welch is an LDS law and religion scholar who currently teaches at the J. Reuben Clark Law School at Brigham Young University .- Biography :...

 beginning in 1996.

Sources

• Wilkinson, Ernest L.
  Ernest L. Wilkinson
  Ernest Leroy Wilkinson was an American academic administrator and prominent figure in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints . He was president of Brigham Young University from 1951 to 1971 and also oversaw the entire LDS Church Educational System. Prior to this, Wilkinson was a lawyer...
  
   and Leonard J. Arrington
  Leonard J. Arrington
  Leonard James Arrington was an author, academic and the founder of the Mormon History Association. He is known as the "Dean of Mormon History" and "the Father of Mormon History" because of his many influential contributions to the field.-Biographical background:Arrington was born in Twin Falls,...
  
  , ed., Brigham Young University: The First 100 Years. Provo: BYU Press, 1976. Vol. 3, p. 203, 291-293.
• BYU Studies
  BYU Studies
  BYU Studies is a multidisciplinary journal dedicated to publishing articles on a broad array of topics related to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints...
  
  . Vol. 49 (2010) no. 4, p. 40.
• Ensign, Sep. 1983, p. 34