Evelyn Brandt Thomas, an avid 4-H and Rural Youth Organization member during her childhood, grew up on a 240-acre farm near Pleasant Plains, IL. Her parents raised cattle and grain on the farm and she and her siblings learned the family business through their daily chores. Mrs. Thomas graduated from Springfield High School and later received a business degree from Illinois Business College in Springfield. Her husband, the late Gordon Thomas, was a graduate of the University of Illinois College of Agriculture. During their 53 years of marriage, the couple remained lifelong supporters of 4-H and FFA programs. In 2004, Mrs. Thomas received the Illinois 4-H Alumni Award at the University of Illinois in Champaign. The Evelyn Brandt Thomas Scholarship was established in 2004 and seeks to assist full-time junior or senior students enrolled in the College of Business and Management. Preference is given to female applicants.