ACTON — Elias Thomas III, a member of the Mount Hermon School Class of 1965, was honored by Northfield Mount Hermon during the 2015 reunion celebration. Thomas received the Community Service Award, which recognizes a former student who has been of service to a community in either a volunteer or a professional role, acknowledging the value an NMH education places on service to others throughout one’s life.

Thomas later attended the University of Southern Maine, married and joined a real estate firm, of which he is currently president and co-owner. In 1978, he joined the local chapter of the Rotary Club, and he remains a very active member.

Thomas has worked with other Rotarians to assist orphanages and hospitals in Romania. He initiated a hearing-aid project for special needs children and worked on safe waste disposal while preserving the fresh water supply in Cozumel, Mexico. He has traveled to India many times ”“ for polio immunization projects and for reconstruction projects. After the 2004 tsunami, he worked as a laborer, helping to provide safe drinking water for the poor, to refurbish derelict buildings as a technology center and a daycare center, and to build dams to improve irrigation.