George N. Thomas

Wednesday, November 11, 1998

George N. Thomas

Waynesburg native was first TV news editor in Pittsburgh
George N. Thomas, 76, of the Highland Park section of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh's first television news editor and first public information director for Allegheny County for nearly 30 years, died November 9, 1998, at Forbes Hospice, Pittsburgh.

He was born September 2, 1922, in Weirton, W.Va., a son of Nicholas and Mary Tsiotis Thomas.
Mr. Thomas was a member of St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Cathedral, Pittsburgh, where he taught Sunday school for 37 years and acted as the cathedral's official photographer.
After receiving his master's degree in journalism in 1952 from Columbia University, Thomas pioneered television news in Pittsburgh, becoming the first news director for WDTV (which later became KDKA-TV), moving on to WTAE-TV in 1960, where he worked as executive news director for eight years.
In the early days of television, Thomas organized a network of approximately 150 news photographers and reporters in Western Pennsylvania, Ohio and West Virginia - the largest such force for a single station in the nation.
He wrote Pittsburgh's first television documentary for KDKA-TV, "Pittsburgh and the Stars," about Westinghouse Electric's research into the use of nuclear power in space in the 1950s. Thomas produced the area's first half-hour program for WTAE-TV in 1957 corresponded with a Russian TV news editor prior to Soviet Premier Nakita Krushchev's visit to the United States, gaining an inside working knowledge of Russian television and its lack of freedom in news reporting.
In 1968, Thomas was named the first director of Allegheny county's Bureau of Information.
As a navigator with the 15th Air force during World War II, Thomas flew 26 combat missions - 13 as lead navigator - and was awarded five medals and a group Presidential citation. He also taught journalism at Point Park College for 29 years and was an active member in the City's Greek Orthodox community throughout his life.
A native of Waynesburg, he launched Waynesburg High School's first school newspaper before graduating in 1940.
After the war, he returned to Waynesburg College to earn his bachelor's degree in English/journalism, reporting part time for the Waynesburg Republican, Democrat-Messenger and Washington Observer.
Thomas compiled "A Half Century of Greene County Sports" in 336 weekly installments.
Among his biggest 'thrills' was borrowing a sample moon rock from Pitt University in 1971 when he was Alumni Day speaker at Waynesburg College, complete with county police escort. Thomas showed the rock to Dr. Paul R. Stewart, venerable retired president, who had taught Thomas geology 25 years earlier. "Here's a fossil even you have never seen," Thomas said to the amazed geologist.
Thomas has served as Northeast Regional Director of the National Association of County Information Offers and belonged to the Press Club of Western Pennsylvania, Variety Club of Pittsburgh, American Legion Post 595 (where he served as commander), Christian Associates of Southwestern Pennsylvania, Catholic Youth Association, Art Rooney Award Dinner committee (for which he had done publicity for all its 25 years), Order of Kentucky Colonels, American hellenic Educational Progressive Association and served on the board of the Pittsburgh Pastoral Institute.
In 1951, he married Donna Popson Thomas, who survives.
Also surviving are three sons, Nicholas J. Thomas of Shaler, Stephen A. Thomas of Regent Square and George N. Thomas Jr. of Seattle, Wash.; one daughter, Maria Thomas Burgwin of Oakland in Pittsburgh; three brothers, Angelo and Nick Nopulos of Baltimore, Md., and James Galatis of Pompano Beach, Fla; three sisters, Sophie Taylor of Maryland and Mary Keffelos and Rose Anastos, both of Warren, Ohio; three grandchildren, Jodie, Cassandra and Stephen; and several nieces and nephews.