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08/03/2022 08:30 AMSince March of this year David Thomas has volunteered at Hagaman Memorial Library to stay close to his love of all things related to education and lifelong learning.
A native of New Haven, David moved to East Haven a year ago. Before that he spent most of his adult life in Guilford, except when his career brought him to Cambridge, Massachusetts, or Washington D.C.
David’s undergraduate study was at the University of New Haven where he earned his Bachelor of Arts in political science, followed by the law degree he earned at Harvard Law School. He then practiced law for several years before taking time off to earn a Ph.D. in religion from Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee.
David was prompted to study religion due to his deep faith and his intense curiosity about the nature of religion in different countries and cultures.
“My wife and I were very involved in the church, and I wanted to know more and get deeply into the religions of the world, into comparative religions,” recalls David, “so I took three years off to study and then went back to work.”
Feeling the restless urge to keep on learning and expanding his knowledge, in 2005, David says, “I decided to go back part-time to Harvard and got a master’s degree in science, a doctor of science in public health, and then got a Ph.D. in environmental biotechnology.”
The biotechnology studies lead to David developing a new solar panel design that uses wind and rain to generate electricity, and he now has a patent pending for the product. “It generates 40 percent more electricity than your typical solar panel,” states David. He’s hopeful that the patent is issued soon since the product has long been in development.
“The objective is,” continues David, “you can use this panel with or without a standard solar panel attached, and you’re generating 30 to 40 kilowatts compared with 20 kilowatts of a [typical photovoltaic] solar panel.”
Using wind and rain—in addition to sunlight—plays into writer and naturalist Henry David Thoreau’s philosophy that “In wilderness is the preservation of the world.”
“Everything we need is here,” David adds to Thoreau’s statement, “we just have to learn how to adapt it.”
With such an extensive educational background, it was only natural for David to discover the rich resources at Hagaman Memorial Library not long after moving to town.
“I’ve always loved libraries and been attracted to libraries,” states David. “And there is nothing like holding a book. I don’t read books on a tablet. I only read [printed and bound] books. So, I came into the library one day and asked if they could use a volunteer.”
The answer was yes, of course, since a library can always utilize volunteer help.
At Hagaman, David goes through the stacks to find damaged books and helps artists set up their art displays in advance of art receptions, provides reader-advisory duties in which he connects readers with books, checks for damaged library materials, and much more.
David also volunteers at the East Haven Food Pantry at Christ and the Epiphany Church on Park Place four mornings per week, and he’s a Deacon at his church, the First Congregational Church (Old Stone), handling all the volunteer activities needed to support the ministers and congregants, which includes taking contributions and bringing them to people’s cars.
All this keeps David busy, and he says he enjoys both the work and the people he helps each week. “The church is a whole family,” says David. “And at the food pantry, the number of people who give their time for the amount of food they give out [makes it] a hustle and bustle there.”
Beginning in September, David will volunteer more of his time to facilitate a new civic group at the Hagaman Memorial Library called the Great Decisions Foreign Policy discussion group.
Great Decisions is a national, civic-education program sponsored by the Foreign Policy Association that encourages participants to learn about U.S. foreign policy and global issues, discuss multiple viewpoints in a group setting, and take part in a national opinion ballot survey on policy issues.
Hagaman Memorial Library’s Great Decisions Foreign Policy discussion group will read articles and watch videos on specific U.S. foreign policy topics followed by a discussion, which will be led by David.
There is also a Great Decisions briefing book containing articles on many different topics related to U.S. Foreign Policy. This is a major contribution and commitment that David has made to the library.
The first Great Decisions meeting discussion group will take place at Hagaman Memorial Library on Tuesday, September 27 at 6 p.m. The topic will be the U.S. and Russia.
With David’s broad education and professional background, if there is any philosophy to life he would like to impart to others it’s this: “I have a very large believe in God, in my religion, and what I think people need to realize is that we are all the same. It’s doesn’t matter [about] race, color, or anything else,” he concludes. “We are all God’s children. Strip away the skin and we are all the same people. And I think what needs to motivate people is to understand one another much better.”
To become a member of the upcoming Great Decisions Foreign Policy Discussion Group at the East Haven Hagaman Memorial Library—which is free and open to young adults and adults—sign-up at the library’s adult circulation desk and check out a copy of the Great Decisions briefing book. You can also sign-up by calling the library at 203-468-3890 or by contacting Chris at chemingway@hagamanlibrary.org or Cynthia at cgwiazda@hagamanlibrary.org.
To nominate a Person of the Week, email Jason J. Marchi as jasonjmarchi@yahoo.com