BRYN MAWR COMMUNITY MOURNS THE LOSS OF BELOVED DEAN

Hayley Thomas dressed in Elizabethan garb for a May Day procession

Hayley Samantha Thomas, the much-loved assistant dean and acting director of institutional diversity at Bryn Mawr, died on March 20 at New York-Presbyterian Hospital in New York City. Thomas was diagnosed with stomach cancer at the end of January. She was 32.

"Many of us at Bryn Mawr have worked closely with Hayley and have admired her warmth, sense of humor, sharp intellect and the direct honesty of her conversation," said Bryn Mawr College President Nancy J. Vickers. "She gave generously to her students and colleagues, and this community benefited greatly from her presence. Hayley seemed so clearly meant to become a leader in higher education. Her death is a great loss and very hard to accept."

Thomas came to Bryn Mawr in 2000 as an assistant dean. In 2003, she was named the acting director of institutional diversity as well. As dean, she became an invaluable resource for all students, especially those involved in mentoring programs for students of color. Hundreds of young women benefited from her tireless dedication to their academic success and personal development. She worked with the On-Target mentoring program for students of color. Last fall she spearheaded the planning of a yearlong series of events called "Making Sense of Diversity: A Conversation at Bryn Mawr College," which continues to bring faculty, students and staff together to discuss issues of difference. Thomas also taught college seminars on the intersection of oral and written narrative traditions.

"Hayley was an extraordinarily gifted young woman who made great contributions to the Bryn Mawr College community," said Karen Tidmarsh, dean of the undergraduate college. "We are devastated by this loss."

Born in Guyana, Thomas came to the United States in 1978 and grew up in Queens, New York. She graduated from Swarthmore College in 1993 with a B.A. with honors in history and a minor in English literature. Thomas earned her M.A. in 1997 and Ph.D. in 2002 in folklore and folk life at the University of Pennsylvania. Her dissertation, under the supervision of Roger D. Abrahams, was titled Critical Mas': Reading Folklore in West Indian Literary Criticism.

From 1999–2000, she taught and conducted research at Trinity College in Hartford, Conn., on the Ann Plato Fellowship. She was also awarded Penn's Fontaine Fellowship, which supports outstanding minority doctoral students. She received the Mellon Minority Undergraduate Fellowship while attending Swarthmore College and was the recipient of the Mellon Graduate Fellowship in Humanistic Studies while attending the University of Pennsylvania.

Thomas sang with the Swarthmore College Alumni Gospel Choir, and she often visited high schools in communities where the choir performed to encourage students to continue their education. She was active in MANNA, which provides nutritional support to people living with AIDS/HIV.

Thomas is survived by her mother Hazeline Thomas, sister Golda Thomas, stepfather Herbert George, six aunts, six uncles and more than 25 first cousins.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to charities in Philadelphia and New York. For more information about supporting these organizations, please visit http://www.geocities.com/kathrynewilson/hayleythomas.html.

A public memorial service is scheduled for Monday, April 19, beginning at 6:30 p.m. in Thomas Great Hall.

<<Back to Bryn Mawr Now 3/25/2004

>>Next Story