John Thomas, Rindge Tech Class of 1958, visited his alma mater
on November 30, 2011. Shown on the left in the photo, along with Dr.
Mike Ananis, Director of RSTA, John Thomas was 17 years old and a
freshman at Boston University when he became the first man in the world to high jump 7 feet indoors,
which he did on April 30, 1960. Thomas went on to push the outdoor
world record high jump to 7’33/4” in 1961 when he was 20 years old.
Thomas earned the Bronze Medal in the High Jump at the 1960 Olympics in Rome and he won the Silver Medal in the High Jump at the 1964 Olympics in Tokyo.
Following his Olympic career, Thomas worked for General Motors
Corporation, ran his own business, and eventually served as Athletic
Director at Roxbury Community College. John Thomas was elected to the
United States Track and Field Hall of Fame and currently lives in
Brockton.