Carolyn Jean Thomas

Carolyn Jean Thomas was born November 6, 1943, in Huntington, WV. Her educational journey began during the years when schools were segregated and she attended Barnett Elementary School and continued through her tenth grade year at the former Douglass High School. In 1960. She transferred to Huntington High School and graduated in 1961, the year Douglass High was closed forever.
At Marshall, she received her BA degree in Social Studies and English. Teaching was her first professional love. Carolyn’s first job was at the former Simms Elementary, and from there she moved to Oley Junior High School and later to Barboursville Middle School. She often said she felt called to the teaching profession. During those early years, she broadened her educational background and completed an MA program in Special Education, which led her into the Talented and Gifted field at Huntington High School. A move to Miami Florida for 12 years resulted in her working at the Atlantis Academy for the Gifted. After her return to Huntington, she taught for a brief time at the Vocational Center before her retirement.
Carolyn’s second love was in Performing Arts. As a young student at Barnett, she participated in the Child Development and Improvement Club, founded by Mae V. Brown in the 1950s, to introduce young Black children to formal study in the field of the arts and dance. By the time she reached high school, Carolyn was a student teacher of dance to younger students in the CDIC classes. Later she worked with her friend, Mrs. Elaine Blue, a local poet, painter, and playwright, who founded the Huntington Theatrical Ensemble With Mrs. Blue, Carolyn co-directed several plays, notably”For Colored Girls Who Committed Suicide, When the Rainbow was Enough-which toured several venues in the state. She was assistant director for many years of the summer arts camp- now the “Norman Jordan African American Arts & Heritage Academy” and the tocal “STARS ARE US” theatrical troupe, which was organized by Norman Branch. While in Miami, she performed live theater. After joining the National Association of Black Storytellers, she became involved in the use of her talents in ministry and even directed and annual Easter Production at New Life Church. She followed this by creating monologues of women from the bible which she performed at churches within the Tri-State as well as in Michigan, and Maryland.
As a lifelong member of the NAACP, Carolyn was instrumental in creating during the 80s and 90s a state-wide Afro-Academic, Cultural, Technological and Scientific Olympics (ACT-SO), a national competition for NAACP youth.

If one is lucky to find a life’s work she enjoys, they have one of the secrets of a happy life, but to discover two vocations that you love doing is truly a blessing from above. Carolyn J. Thomas was truly blessed.