Alabama classrooms set stage for Thomas' lead as president

By WILLIAM GUHL
and AMY OAKES
Collegian Staff Writers

University President Joab Thomas said his best public speaking skills were learned in the classroom.

Thomas gained experience speaking in front of large audiences long before becoming a university president, by delivering lectures to classes while he was a biology professor at the University of Alabama.

"I spent a number of years teaching. You have to develop a lecture on a topic. I never tried to read a lecture, I always tried to work from the lecture notes or extemporaneously," Thomas said.

Before becoming a teacher he had not had a great deal of experience speaking to large audiences, but Thomas said he has always written his own speeches and prefers to speak guided by just a set of notes.

"It's much easier to speak from notes if I've written the speech," Thomas said.

Thomas said he gets some help on his speeches from Mary Beth Crowe, administrative project associate, who helps him gather data and locate quotes that he wants to use in his speeches.

If it is a minor speech, Thomas said he will often just dictate some of the points he wants to make in the speech and let Crowe round it out.

Crowe said she mostly does research, but she does do some draft work. She did the same thing for Bryce Jordan when he was University president.

Thomas said he puts a lot of preparation into his speeches but even when well prepared, sometimes unexpected circumstances can arise to make things a little more interesting than he would like.

Thomas cited the example of a high school commencement address he was to deliver at a private academy while he was at Alabama.

"I wrote a speech speaking to the students. The commencement was at a football field, and when the graduating class marched in they were seated behind me," Thomas said.

There was a strong, gusty wind blowing through the stadium and Thomas had to hold onto his notes with both hands, he said.

"Then before I started to speak, a dog ran out on the field and began to run around," Thomas said. After the dog had departed, and with his audience still seated behind him, Thomas began to speak.

"I soon discovered a railroad track was behind the stadium," Thomas said. In the middle of the speech a train passed by and blew its whistle, forcing him to stop and wait before continuing.

"I told my friends, if I could handle that speech, I decided I could handle anything," Thomas said.