Harlan Thomas

Thomas entered the Colorado State College at Fort Collins in 1885, but after the death of his father the following year, he was forced to drop out and apprenticed as a carpenter, subsequently moving to Denver.

In 1891 he returned to Colorado State College; he majored in mathematics and mechanics, and graduated in 1895 with a Bachelor of Science degree.

After a year in Denver working as an architect, Thomas married and then spent sixteen months in Europe.

Thomas served as head of the program through the early 1940s, but by 1940, day-to-day administrative functions were increasingly handled by Arthur Herrman, who became executive officer.

In 1941, after Thomas's retirement from day-to-day direction of the architecture school, he was elected Director of the Western Mountain District, American Institute of Architects.