Joab Thomas
Joab Langston Thomas (February 14, 1933 – March 3, 2014) was an American university administrator and scientist, who served as president of Pennsylvania State University, North Carolina State University and The University of Alabama.
Early life and education
Thomas was born in Holt and grew up in Russellville, Alabama. His father was the town's superintendent of education; his mother was a music teacher. Thomas credits them, along with his brother, two sisters and his extended family, for his strong sense of character.
He was educated at Harvard University where he earned bachelors, masters, and doctoral degrees in biological sciences with a concentration in botany.
Academic career
He served as a professor of biology at The University of Alabama from 1961 until his subsequent appointment as assistant dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, followed by his appointment as vice president for student affairs in 1969.
Thomas took the position of chancellor at North Carolina State University in 1976; he was the school's ninth chief executive. While in office, enrollment at the university grew by 25 percent and surpassed 20,000 for the first time. He oversaw the establishment of the School of Veterinary Medicine, the Center for Economic and Business Studies, the North Carolina Japan Center, and the Caldwell Fellows scholarship program. Thomas resigned as chancellor in 1981. A partial manuscript collection related to Joab Langston Thomas is housed in the NCSU Libraries Special Collections Research Center in D.H. Hill Library.
Joab
Joab (Hebrew יוֹאָב ModernYo'av Tiberian Yôʼāḇ) the son of Zeruiah, was the nephew of King David and the commander of his army, according to the Bible.
Name
The name Joab (יוֹאָב) is derived from Yahweh (יהוה), the name of the God of Israel, and the Hebrew word 'av' (אָב), meaning 'father'. It therefore means 'Yahweh [is] father'. Apart from David's nephew, the name is given to two other individuals in the Bible (see Ezra 2:6, 8:9). Those are the descendants of Joab of Bethlehem the son of Zeruiah the subject is of the house and head of the house. The individual is Obadiah the son of Jehiel. It is also a common name in modern Israel.
The name Yoav (Joab) may also be attributed to the district of Moav (Moab in Latin transcription),eastern bank of the Jordan, from where Ruth the Moabitess came.
Biblical narrative
Joab was the son of Zeruiah, a sister of king David, who made him captain of his army (2 Samuel 8:16; 20:23; 1 Chronicles 11:6; 18:15; 27:34). He had two brothers, Abishai and Asahel. Asahel was killed by Abner in combat, for which Joab took revenge by murdering Abner in an ambush against David's wishes (2 Samuel 2:13-32; 3:27).
Podcasts:
