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Ron Dial, Air University Library Reference Branch Chief at Maxwell Air Force Base, has established a generous scholarship fund in honor of his friend, the late Captain Robert Brian Thomas. The fund supports cadets in the Air Force Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (AFROTC), Detachment 012 at The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH), a part of The University of Alabama system.

The AFROTC program allows cadets to live as regular college students while pursuing their degrees. Once they graduate, they will be commissioned in the U.S. Air Force or U.S. Space Force. UAH’s program is the first program of its kind in the U.S.

Robert Brian Thomas, courtesy of Miller Funeral Home
Robert Brian Thomas, courtesy of Miller Funeral Home

The Captain Robert Brian Thomas Memorial Scholarship will be awarded to a UAH AFROTC cadet with Junior or Senior college-level status, and this recipient will be known as the Captain Thomas Scholar. Cadet William Harper has been named UAH’s first Captain Thomas Scholar for the 2024-2025 academic year.

Capt. Thomas graduated from UAH in 1983 with a degree in Electrical Engineering. While on campus, he established the Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity in 1980. After completing his undergraduate degree, Capt. Thomas joined the U.S. Air Force and was commissioned as an officer. He served 11 years in the Air Force, reaching the rank of captain as a member of the United States Air Force Special Forces. He faithfully served his country in five theaters of war including Desert Storm and received numerous awards for his leadership during his time of service.

UAH is honored to preserve Capt. Thomas’s legacy through this generous scholarship gift from the Dial family.

For more information regarding UAH’s AFROTC program, visit the Air Force ROTC webpage.

You can support future AFROTC cadets at UAH by making a tax-deductible donation to the Captain Robert Brian Thomas Memorial Scholarship fund. Give online today by going to www.uah.edu/capt-thomas.