Prominent Valley lawyer and long time supporter of the
Commodore Hull Thanksgiving Day 5K Road Race, Dominick J. Thomas Jr.,
has been named as the Honorary Starter for the 2011 Race. A Derby
native, he is an attorney/owner at the law firm of Cohen & Thomas in
Derby where he has practiced since 1977.
Dominick has an incredible record of volunteer
leadership in the Valley and beyond. He has been a member of the Lower
Naugatuck Valley Boys & Girls Club for 30 years and is a past president
of the club. He has also been a member of the Birmingham Group Health
Services for 27 years and has served as their General Counsel. He has a
long standing relationship with the Valley Association of Retarded
Children and Adults (VARCA), and served on their board for 17 years. He
is currently a member of the Board of Directors at Valley United Way and
has served on the campaign cabinet for the Annual Community Fund
Campaign effort.
His involvements have also included service on the Board
of Trustees for the Archdiocese of Hartford Catholic Charities/Catholic
Family Services. From 2001-2005 he was a member of the Katharine
Matthies Foundation Advisory Committee. He is also a member of the
Valley Advisory Committee of the Community Foundation fo Greater New
Haven.
Not only has Dominick been involved with local
nonprofits, he has also been involved with civic government in twice
serving as a member of the Oxford Charter Commission. He was also the
Town Counsel in Oxford on three separate occasions. He currently is a
member of the Town of Woodbridge Board of Ethics.
His professional involvements include the Valley Bar
Association where he is a Past President, the Connecticut Bar
Association, the American Bar Association, the Connecticut Trial Lawyers
Association and the American Association for Justice.
This is not the first time that Dominick has been
recognized his work in the community. In 2010, he was the recipient of
the prestigious Charles H. Flynn Humanitarian Award. In 1991, The
Greater Valley Chamber of Commerce presented him with the Gold Seal
Award and in 2005 the Connecticut Bar Association presented him with a
Distinguished Volunteer Service Award. In 2006 the Boys & Girls Club
presented him with the Raymond P. Lavietes Award. He was also the winner
of the 2009 Sharon Bryce Holly Community Hero Award given by the
Volunteer Action Center.
Dominick is a graduate of the College of Holy Cross, and
received this law degree from the University of Virginia. He is also an
Honor Graduate of the United States Army Judge Advocate General Schools.
He served as a Lieutenant in the U. S. Air Force Office of Special
Investigations and a Captain with the U.S. Army Judge Advocate Corps.
He is married to Sally M. Thomas and has three children,
Christopher, Gregory and Scott and five grandchildren.