Peter Thomas

Peter Addenbrooke Thomas (June 28, 1924 – April 30, 2016) was an American announcer and narrator of television programs with a career spanning more than 70 years, including shows such as Nova and Forensic Files. Early life and education Thomas was born in Pensacola, Florida, to British parents John D. Thomas, originally of Swansea, Wales, and Sibyl Addenbrooke, from Mumbles, Wales, daughter of Col. Addenbrooke of the RAF. He had two younger brothers, John and David. His father, a Church of England minister in Great Britain, then Presbyterian minister in the US, and his mother, who became a schoolteacher in the US, stressed the importance of reading, education, and memorization and visualization to their son. Thomas says that his father stressed mental images as an important speaking tool. For example, he told his son if he was talking about horses he had to picture horses in his mind. Career Thomas began his career at 14 as an announcer on a local radio show. Since the station could not pay him due to his age, they arranged for the sponsor, Piper Aircraft, to give him flying lessons. Within a few years he was hosting Big Band remotes. With the onset of World War II, Thomas left The Stony Brook School and volunteered for the United States Army in 1943, after being offered an Armed Forces Radio deferment, and served with the First Infantry Division in five major campaigns, including the Battle of Normandy and the Battle of the Bulge. He was issued a Battle star for each of the five campaigns. He was also awarded the Bronze Star, the Purple Heart, the Unit French Croix de Guerre, and Belgian Fourragère.