Kenneth Thomas

Who is Kenneth Thomas?

Kenneth Thomas was Chief Financial Officer of the United States Chess Federation from April 23 to December 31, 2004. He took over the position of CFO of the USCF during a period of great financial distress, with the USCF having lost money seven years in a row, with total losses amounting to $1.7 million. He was hired by Bill Goichberg. Because the USCF was in severe financial difficulty, he agreed to work for far below the normal salary. He restored the federation to profitability and financial solvency.

Ken Thomas was born in Mead, Oklahoma during the great Dust Bowl. Three of his siblings died of starvation and Ken nearly died as well. After World War II, Ken with his family moved to New Jersey. He graduated from Bound Brook High School there.

Kenneth Thomas served in the US Army, Ordnance Corps from 1961 to 1964 as a sergeant. He worked in nuclear weapon assembly. He worked in the Nuclear Weapons Laboratory in Sandia Base, near Albuquerque, New Mexico. He was a mechanic in the internal workings of Nuclear Weapons.

Later he was transferred to Lüdenscheid, West Germany, and attached to the German army, the Bundeswehr where he worked on secret weapons in the British Sector. He speaks German. He traveled all over Western Europe arming and disarming nuclear weapons. He also played chess there and twice participated in the European Army Championships in Kaiserslautern, Germany.