Vernon Palmer Thomas

Vernon Palmer Thomas, age 63, passed away peacefully at Baton Rouge General Hospital on Saturday, November 12, 2016. He was the devoted son of the late Felton and Frances Louise Helm Thomas; beloved husband of Dr. Sarah Moody Thomas; loving father of Nakia McAdoo (Dr. Efrem McAdoo), Elmhurst, IL, Vernon Wesley Thomas, Baton Rouge, James Felton Thomas (Kayla Turner), New Orleans, Hunter Francis Thomas (Dr. Akayla Robinson), Baton Rouge, and Dashia Monet Thomas, New Orleans; cherished grandfather of Jordan, Ellis and Hilton McAdoo; Caiden Thomas, Zoe Gomez, and Carolyn Thomas. He was preceded in death by his sister, Lartha Cornell Palmer. Vernon was a native of Cincinnati, Ohio and was a resident of New Orleans for 40 years. Vernon earned a B.A. degree in political science from Tulane University and a Juris Doctorate degree from Southern University Law Center where he served as Executive Editor of the Law Review. He was a member of the Louisiana State Bar Association and was a respected trial attorney, practicing in New Orleans for 37 years. Vernon created and sustained a neighborhood law practice known throughout the New Orleans area, often fighting for those who could not always afford to litigate. He took many cases that brought relief to residents who were subjected to environmental injustice, most notably to those involved in the Gentilly Tank Car Fire and the Bogalusa Gaylord Chemical Spill cases. In addition, Vernon was an entertainment attorney who, 25 years ago, co-founded the Cutting Edge Music Business Conference. His commitment to the community and love of the arts led him to establish the Neighborhood Civic and Arts Center in 1987. Relatives and friends, Officers and members of the Louisiana State Bar Association, faculty and staff of the LSU Health Sciences Center School of Public Health and the Southern University Law Center, Pastor, Officers and Members of Franklin Avenue Baptist Church and the Links, Inc. are invited to attend the funeral services on Friday, November 18, 2016 at First Assembly of God of Greater New Orleans, Reverend Daniel G. Flanagan, Pastor, 2001 Transcontinental Dr., Metairie LA at 10:30 a.m. Visitation is from 8:30 -10:15 a.m. Reverend James M. Moody, Sr. Of Quinn Chapel, AME Church, Chicago, IL, officiating. Interment: November 21, 2016, Vine Street Cemetery, 3701 Vine Street, Cincinnati, OH. Arrangements by D. W. Rhodes Funeral Home, 3933 Washington Ave.