Jean V. Thomas

Jean V. Thomas was born and raised in Evanston, Illinois to Paul and Lillie Thomas on November 16, 1927. Preceding her in death, in addition to her parents, were her brother, Robert and aunt, Della Christ. Jean recently celebrated her 90th birthday at her home with friends helping in celebrating her special day. Jean’s ambition was to become a chemist from the time she and her brother Bob received a chemistry set while yet in grade school. Jean graduated from Evanston Township High School. Being told that chemistry was not a field for women proved to be her motivation. She earned a Bachelor of Science Degree from the University of Wisconsin and graduated Magna cum Laude in 1949 with a major in chemistry and minors in mathematics and languages. Publications included M. Lyons, J.V. Thomas; J. Amer. Chem. Soc. 72,4506 (1950) “Diffusion Studies on Dilute Aqueous Glycine Solutions at 1 and 25 deg. With Gouy Interference Method”. Her first job was Quality Control Chemist at Armour & Company in Chicago. In 1953, she co-founded PENTEX Incorporated with Trudy Dickinson. PENTEX became a producer of specialized biochemicals located in Kankakee, IL in 1956. Jean was Vice President and Treasurer. She was also Vice President of Midwest Pentex Sales Co. that was founded in Philadelphia in 1961. Jean was Manager of Sales and Product Development and Controller at Kankakee. Not only was Jean unique in that she was an executive with a chemical company, she later served as Director of Marketing until PENTEX and Midwest PENTEX was sold to Miles Laboratories. Since business and science were a rare combination for a woman extension courses and night classes were completed at Illinois Institute of Technology and the University of Illinois for additional career training. Jean was promoted to Kankakee Plant Manager when Trudy was promoted to the Division offices in the mid-1970’s and remained in charge of the Philadelphia operation. In this position, she succeeded in obtaining the Bureau of Biologics certification for Bovine Albumin 7% as a Laboratory Reference Standard for the National Committee for Clinical Laboratory Standard for the National Institutes of Health for the isolation of Porcine Factor VIII, a treatment agent for a heredity absence of a coagulation factor. Factor VIII then became a Kankakee standard product. Jean served as Kankakee Plant Manager until being transferred to Elkhart, Indiana in 1978 as Worldwide Manager of Commercial Products and Applications, Miles Research Division. There she organized and directed a worldwide sales and distribution organization with offices in England, Germany, Spain, Australia, and Japan. After Miles was sold to Bayer Corporation, the German Company known for Aspirin, Jean was transferred to Naperville as Miles Scientific Division Director of Sales and Marketing. She retired in 1995 as Worldwide Director of Sales/ Marketing of the Diagnostics Division. Honors include Who’s Who Among American Women (1966), The Woman MBA (1976) published by the Harvard Business School, Boss of the Year (1989) by the Kankakee National Secretaries Association, and Riverside Healthcare Foundation Samaritan of the Year (2008). She is Past President of the Zonta Club of Kankakee and has served on local conference and administrative bodies of her church, St. Mark United Methodist Church. In 2014, she was recognized for Lifetime Achievement by Olivet Nazarene University and the Reed Institute for the Advanced Study of Leadership. She also received The Kankakee Community College 2016 Foundation Visionary Award. Until recently, Jean was active in her church, St. Mark United Methodist Church, a member of the Board of the Riverside Healthcare Foundation, and a member of the Board of Melissa Day Care Center. Jean is survived by her cousin, Christopher Lukens of Virginia Beach, VA and several dear and close friends including John Dickinson of San Diego, Marge and Laura Dickinson of Houston, Lisa Watson, Ron & Judy Golembiewski of Kankakee and West Palm Beach, Paula Robinson, Sylvia Thomas, and Judy Reiniche. Memorials may be made to St. Mark United Methodist Church, Riverside Healthcare Foundation, or Hospice of Kankakee Valley. Visitation will be held from 4:30 p.m. until the 5:30 p.m. funeral service Sunday, March 4, 2018 at St. Mark United Methodist Church in Kankakee. Interment will be 10 a.m. Monday, March 5, 2018 at Kankakee Memorial Gardens in Aroma Township. Arrangements by Clancy-Gernon-Hertz Funeral Home in Kankakee.

Jean V. Thomas

November 16, 1927 - February 28, 2018