Gordon (Tommy) Eric Thomas

Pioneer in the design of 'Baby', the first stored program computer, Thomas graduated in Physics and Electronic Engineering at the University of Manchester in 1948, joining the design team of Professors F.C. Williams and Tom Kilburn, who conceived and designed the Ferranti Mark 1 and Mercury computers. His postgraduate qualifications of MSc. and PhD were awarded for work done at this time in Manchester. His University contemporaries assigned the name Tommy, by which he preferred to be known. Thomas was born in Cwmamman, Carmarthenshire, South Wales in 1928.

Thomas left the University in 1955 to found the Central Digital Computing facility at Imperial Chemical Industries Ltd (ICI). In 1966, he moved to the University of Edinburgh to set up and direct the first of the three Regional Computing Centres. While Director, he assisted in the development of an overall IT strategy within the first School of Information Technology of any British University.

His Australian career started in 1985 when he took up the post of Foundation Chief at the new CSIRO (Commonwealth Scientific and Research Organisation) Division of Information Technology. In 1988 he assisted Bond University to establish a School of Information and Computing Sciences and a Research Park. In 1989 Thomas took up the permanent joint post of Foundation Professor of Computing Science and Coordinator of the Research Park. He has served on numerous committees and the Boards of commercial and other bodies.

Following his retirement in 1990, he established a consulting partnership, TT Enterprises, which has undertaken a wide variety of specific commissions within the Gold Coast Region of Queensland. Thomas has been a vigorous advocate for wider community involvement in the use of Internet resources. He coordinated the development of World Wide Web material for Bond University, the Currumbin Sanctuary, and the National Trust of Queensland. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, a Fellow of the British Computer Society, and a Member of the Institution of Electrical Engineers.