Brandon Skaggs
JOUR 271
9/20/2012
Thomas Story
374 words
UNIVERSITY, Miss - Many Ole Miss Alumni revisit the University of Mississippi to enrich students in their specific fields of expertise. John B. Thomas is an Ole Miss alum, who attended the university in the 1970s. He studied at the Department of Journalism and graduated in 1985 second in his class and cum laude. He currently is vice president of investor relations and public affairs at Abbott Corporation.
Thomas was involved in various activities and organizations during his years at Ole Miss, from magazine service journalism, the Daily Mississippian, to being a member of Sigma Delta Chi and a Kappa Sigma. He started his own newspaper with a colleague, to compete with The Oxford Eagle, while he was at Ole Miss.
Thomas eventually earned a master’s degree from Lake Forest Graduate School and became affiliated with the Arthur Page Society, a prominent public relations firm. He currently works for the Abbott Corporation. Abbott was founded in 1888 and is a diverse healthcare company with eight different business segments. It has been ranked No. 71 on the Fortune 500 list.
Thomas has worked for many different companies after his graduation. He worked for Meredith Corp, Metropolitan Home, Better Homes and Gardens, Budget, Mullinckrodt, Abbot, and now Abbvie a new branch off of the Abbott Corporation. His position at Better Homes and Gardens led to his overwhelming interest in Healthcare that eventually led him to his position at Abbott.
Thomas told the journalism students to be determined, make things happen, and always be a reporter. It is important to always be prepared and give your best, he said. “Readers want your greatest hits. It’s like rock n’ roll,” Thomas said. He also addressed other pointers for aspiring reporters and journalists such as, good writing, trusting your gut, and not fearing the spreadsheet. “Most important is the ‘why,’” Thomas stated. The “why” should be the motivation and the power behind any story, Thomas said.
Although he is from Mississippi, John Thomas hasn’t been back in Oxford in nine years, and attended the recent Texas versus Ole Miss game with his wife and family. He recently set up an integrated marketing communications scholarship with his wife at UM.
Thomas was involved in various activities and organizations during his years at Ole Miss, from magazine service journalism, the Daily Mississippian, to being a member of Sigma Delta Chi and a Kappa Sigma. He started his own newspaper with a colleague, to compete with The Oxford Eagle, while he was at Ole Miss.
Thomas eventually earned a master’s degree from Lake Forest Graduate School and became affiliated with the Arthur Page Society, a prominent public relations firm. He currently works for the Abbott Corporation. Abbott was founded in 1888 and is a diverse healthcare company with eight different business segments. It has been ranked No. 71 on the Fortune 500 list.
Thomas has worked for many different companies after his graduation. He worked for Meredith Corp, Metropolitan Home, Better Homes and Gardens, Budget, Mullinckrodt, Abbot, and now Abbvie a new branch off of the Abbott Corporation. His position at Better Homes and Gardens led to his overwhelming interest in Healthcare that eventually led him to his position at Abbott.
Thomas told the journalism students to be determined, make things happen, and always be a reporter. It is important to always be prepared and give your best, he said. “Readers want your greatest hits. It’s like rock n’ roll,” Thomas said. He also addressed other pointers for aspiring reporters and journalists such as, good writing, trusting your gut, and not fearing the spreadsheet. “Most important is the ‘why,’” Thomas stated. The “why” should be the motivation and the power behind any story, Thomas said.
Although he is from Mississippi, John Thomas hasn’t been back in Oxford in nine years, and attended the recent Texas versus Ole Miss game with his wife and family. He recently set up an integrated marketing communications scholarship with his wife at UM.
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