E.J. Thomas 50th Anniversary Gala

Good evening, everyone.

My wife Georgia and I are absolutely thrilled to welcome everybody tonight as we celebrate 50 years of excellence at E.J. Thomas Performing Arts Hall, one of the true gems of our campus and our community.

First, we want to express our appreciation for the patrons and sponsors, and members of the E.J. Thomas Performing Arts Hall 50^th Anniversary Gala Advisory Committee for their support.

I want to also thank the University faculty and staff members whose hard work and planning during the past year has culminated in what has been a very special weekend of celebrations.

It was wonderful to hear the Akron Symphony last night. As you know the Symphony opened the Hall in 1973 and continues to be an important partner five decades later.

We are very excited to welcome our special guest for this evening’s performance. Kristin Chenoweth is, of course, an award-winning actress and singer, and I want to note she is also a passionate supporter of rising artists.

In fact, during a recent national tour, she made a point to feature participants from local higher-education conservatories, universities and colleges for an immersive educational experience.

This aligns with something Georgia and I strongly support, and that I know you all do, too: the importance of lifting up our young artists and ensuring there is a strong community brimming with arts and culture opportunities available to them when they graduate.

That message resonates tonight as we celebrate and remember the visionaries who made E.J. Thomas Performing Arts Hall what it is today.

I’d like to ask Eddie Thomas, Dave Thomas, Dr. James Mercer and Maryann Street to join us for a moment.

I am very proud to introduce you to the grandchildren of E.J. Thomas.

During his 55-year career at The Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company, E.J. Thomas rose from a clerk position to be the president, CEO and chairman.

In a 1964 New York Times article on the occasion of his decision to step down, the newspaper noted that Goodyear’s sales grew from $217 million in 1940, when he was named president, to more than $1 billion by 1951.

Clearly E.J. was a brilliant businessman, and The University of Akron was beyond fortunate to have him as a Board of Trustees member for 17 years.

Eddie shared with us recently the very interesting fact that his grandfather was distantly related to the family of our founder, John R. Buchtel.

We continue to be honored by E.J.’s passion and we are thrilled to have his family with us today. We also remember his wife, Mildred.

I find it remarkable that some of you here tonight, including some members of the Thomas family, recall attending the Hall’s opening night in 1973.

Fifty years later, your presence is a tribute to the importance of arts and culture in our community, and the enduring ties between the University and the community.

For that, and so much more, I thank you, and I ask you to raise your glass and toast ….

To this family, and to all families who played a role from the very beginning!

To this Hall!

To this University!

To this city and community!

And to another 50 years and beyond!

Cheers!

Thank you again. Please enjoy the rest of the evening.

E.J. Thomas Performing Arts Hall
50^th Anniversary Performance Welcome

Good evening, everyone! My name is Gary Miller, and I am very proud to be the president of The University of Akron.

My wife Georgia and I are so pleased to welcome you to The University of Akron and to our esteemed E.J. Thomas Performing Arts Hall.

As you know, this weekend we are celebrating 50 years of the Hall, which is an important space for performing arts at our University and in our community, and a tangible symbol of the strong connection between the two.

From the earliest discussions in the 1960s about locating a large performance space on the University campus, E.J. Thomas Performing Arts Hall was meant to serve as a bridge between the University and the community.

The drive to bring the Hall to life was a true community-wide effort.

So many came together to support the cause, led by the Hall’s namesake, Edwin J. Thomas.

E.J. Thomas, as he was known, had a storied career at Goodyear, rising through the ranks to eventually serve as chairman of the company, and was a longtime member of the University’s Board.

His legacy continues with our 50^th anniversary celebrations this weekend, and we are so pleased to have E.J. Thomas’ grandchildren here with us this evening.

At the groundbreaking ceremony held on July 30, 1969, E.J. Thomas remarked that the Hall will provide an inspiration for all who labored to keep the light of culture burning in Akron.

We are forever grateful to E.J. Thomas and so many others from the community, as well as members of the University Board of Trustees, faculty and staff, and students, for their dedication to The University of Akron and the Akron community.

Thanks to them, and all of you here tonight, that light continues to burn.

Kristin Chenoweth will join us shortly, but before she begins her performance, we are pleased to welcome Theron Brown to the stage.

Theron is an assistant professor in our School of Music.

As a jazz artist and educator, he is carrying the torch of our long-standing jazz program, which honors Akron’s deep connections to this music.

Theron is also a two-time alumnus of The University of Akron, and he is a very accomplished pianist.

He is inspired by the great legends of gospel, jazz and soul.

Originally from Zanesville, Ohio, Theron is also the program coordinator for Curated Storefront’s Artist Residency Program at the I Promise School.

He is deeply involved in the music community and is the founder and artistic director of the Rubber City Jazz and Blues Festival.

Theron received an amazing opportunity to star as a young Herbie Hancock in the 2015 film, “Miles Ahead,” directed by and starring Don Cheadle.

In 2019 he released his debut album, “No Concepts.” Theron has appeared with the Akron, Cleveland and Pittsburgh symphony orchestras, the Cleveland Jazz Orchestra and the Glenn Miller Orchestra.

Tonight, he is going to perform for us! We are so fortunate to have him.

Please welcome Theron Brown!