Prof. C. W. Thomas, principal of the Augusta city schools, ranks as one of the foremost educators, not only of Butler county, but of Kansas. Mr. Thomas is a native of New York, born in Wayne county, his parents being Warren and Mary E. (Bullock) Thomas, both natives of New York. Prof. Thomas was reared in his native State, receiving his early education in the public schools and at Williamson Union School. Later he took additional work in various educational institutions and, in fact, has been a hard student all his life. At the age of eighteen, he began his career at a teacher at Williamson, N. Y., and in 1883 came to Kansas, locating at Douglass, Butler county. He taught school in that vicinity for three years, and for seven years was a teacher in the grammar school at Douglass, and for three years following, he was principal of the Douglass schools. He was then forced to give up teaching on account of his health and after a vacation of three years, he accepted the assistant principalship of the Douglass schools, and for eighteen years he was connected with the Douglass schools in one capacity or another.

In 1903 Prof. Thomas was elected superintendent of public instruction of Butler county, and in 1905 re-elected to that office, serving four years in all. During his administration, the public schools of Butler county were efficiently conducted and very satisfactory results obtained, and Prof. Thomas won the reputation of being a very capable administrative school officer. He brought the school system up to a high state of efficiency and kept them fully up to the standard of modern day educational methods. At the close of his term of office he engaged in the mercantile business at Douglass which he conducted for three years when he traded his business for a farm, and came to Augusta to complete an unexpired term of school. In 1911 he was elected principal of the Augusta city schools, and since that time has conducted the schools of that city in a way that has reflected great credit on him as an educator. Prof. Thomas has been active in institute work, and for ten years has been an instructor in that department of educotional[sic] work. He has assisted at institutes in Arkansas City, Ashland and El Dorado. He is president of the Butler County Teachers' Association, a position which he has held for three years. He has taken an active part in all matters tending to the advancement of education, and helped establish

the first consolidated high school in Butler county. He is a persistent worker, and is not an advocate of any "royal road to learning." In whatever capacity he has served in the great field of education, he has done his part conscientiously and well.

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