Dr. Freddie Thomas excelled in more fields in one lifetime than most people would in two or three. He was a historian and a scientist, an inventor, and an author, a book collector, a composer, and a scholar. Born in Virginia, he studied at Virginia State University, Wagner College, Albany Medical School, and the University of Rochester. He did significant biological research at the Eastman Kodak Company and at the University of Rochester, but was also known as an authority in Afro-American and Jewish cultural history. 

Many still remember the home of Thomas and his wife on Skuse Street as a center of learning, discussion, and inspiration for the community.

* Summary published by the City of Rochester