Larry Thomas remains a driving force in the community

Larry Thomas has paid his dues.

He retired in 2021 after working almost 50 years with Edward Jones and becoming one of its first minority partners. He began as an intern in 1977 and was immediately hired after he graduated from Washington University. He then rose through the ranks with multiple promotions.

Thomas is widely respected both for his pioneering work at Edward Jones, his philanthropy and multiple roles as board member or board chair with civic institutions including the United Way’s Charmaine Chapman Society, Washington University’s “Make Way” initiative, the St. Louis Zoo, Forest Park Forever and Provident Behavioral Health.

Thomas will be honored as the “Lifetime Achiever in Business” by the St. Louis American Foundation during its 23rd Annual Salute to Excellence in Business Awards and Networking Luncheon on February 20, 2025 at the Ritz-Carlton St. Louis. 

He has always found time to be involved in supporting his community and still leads a productive life.

“Retirement, for me, means I retired from Edward Jones,” he stated, adding: “But there’s plenty life ahead to do other things.”

Thomas is an accomplished saxophonist and an avid classic car collector. Some of the “other things” on the retiree’s “to-do list,” include his continued service with nonprofits, playing his saxophone more, building a music studio and recording room just to “jam with my pals,” he said.

He is fascinated with cars, and he is driving either his vintage Porsche, BMW, Bentley, Lamborghinis or one of the many cars from his impressive luxury car collection.

Thomas, who helped the Charmaine Chapman Society reach a fundraising record when he served as chair, was recipient of the United Way of Greater St. Louis 2023 Freeman-Kortkamp award for outstanding service and performance of a board member.

“Larry has supported us in various ways for 24 years, lending his time and resources to several volunteer and committee roles,” said Michelle Tucker, United Way president and CEO.

“His longstanding commitment and has helped our efforts tremendously, and he’s one of the reasons we’re able to make thoughtful, informed decisions on building a stronger community for everyone.”

Roots in the South

Thomas has come a long way from his roots in Vicksburg, Mississippi. He recalled, as a child, the signs of deeply segregated life in the small town: Separate water fountains for Black people and whites; the Woolworth lunch counter where Blacks were forbidden to sit or eat, and buses were remanded to sit in the back rows.

In fact, he recalled “a teaching moment” when he, his aunt and his younger sister, Rita, boarded a segregated bus. Thomas and his aunt instinctively sat in the back of the bus, but his sister chose a seat in the front.

“I was old enough to know about segregation, So I said to my aunt, ‘Rita is in front of the bus. She’s going to get in trouble.” His aunt responded curtly: “Don’t say anything to her. Let her sit and nobody better say anything to us.”

Thomas said he learned “to get past it (racism), get through it and not let it be a detriment” to his life.

He found salvation through music. His godmother was a pianist and music teacher and at the age of six, she had Thomas playing the flute. He later picked up the clarinet and a few other instruments and mastered multiple musical genres before landing on the saxophone.

Thomas was determined to make music his route out of the South. He played with segregated and integrated bands throughout his high school years. But the summer before his senior year of high school, he and his all-Black bandmembers landed a coveted spot as one of the band delegations invited to perform at the Elks National convention in St. Louis. They were housed at Washington University during their stay in the city.

Impressed with the university, Thomas enrolled the following fall with an intention to study pharmacology.

“I realized after a couple years, it wasn’t my cup of tea,” he recalled.

Along with music, Thomas was also attracted to math and science, so he transferred to Olin Business School to study business. At Olin he enrolled in an internship class. His professor at the time, George Hempel, directed him to apply at three companies. Edward Jones was the one that offered him a job as an intern.

There were very few African Americans in professional positions at Edward Jones in the late 1970s. Thomas rose through the ranks, first on the trading floor, then as an equity research analyst before entering the company’s capital markets division before his promotion as market development leader overseeing “13 states from Virginia to Main plus the district of Columbia.”

Thomas generously donates his time, resources and money to Washington University. “It’s a form of “payback,” he said, which he also told WashU magazine two years ago.

“Naturally, I have a strong ­investment in Washington University. My advisers not only knew my potential, but they also threw their weight behind me,” Thomas said.

“I want more students to discover the resources, networks and social capital at their ­fingertips. I want all of them to realize the empowering possibility of this place.” 

One of his favorite WashU initiatives is “Make Way,” a support-building internship and career development program geared to help cultivate student health and well-being.

“Make Way helps students come to WashU. It also ensures that they truly connect as I did,” Thomas told the magazine. “Not all students arrive equipped to seek resources or ask for help. It’s not only about tuition and room and board. We want our students to be able to ­engage fully.”

Thomas will be honored as the “Lifetime Achiever in Business” by the St. Louis American Charitable Foundation during its 23rd Annual Salute to Excellence in Business Awards and Networking Luncheon on February 20, 2025 at the Ritz-Carlton St. Louis.

Life after half a century at Edward Jones still has its blessings for Thomas. They include playing music, serving on various nonprofit boards and tooling around town in his classic cars. Another blessing, Thomas admitted, was being selected as this year’s St. Louis American’s “Lifetime Achiever in Business.”

“To be selected for this award is breathtaking,” Thomas said. “The respect I have for the St. Louis American and Dr. Donald Suggs (publisher) and his achievements both medically and journalistically…well…to be selected is quite an honor and privilege.”

Sylvester Brown Jr. is the Deaconess Foundation Community Advocacy Fellow.