William D. Thomas, 68, Retired Heights Singers Director and Cain Park Operations Manager

In a concerted yet unscripted move, former members of the Girls Glee Club and Men's Chorus of have been blogging, tweeting and leaving comments on an online guestbook about their beloved director, Bill Thomas.

Adrienne Gottlieb posted a tribute video to YouTube with a slideshow of photos of Thomas, members of the Girls Glee Club and Men's Chorus throughout the years and concerts. A recording of the 1974 GGC-MC singing Let It Be Me, which marked the conclusion of many concerts, plays in the background. 

Thomas, who relocated to Cleveland Heights from western Pennsylvania in 1968 to serve as director of the group, which later became known as the Heights Singers, . He had Parkinson’s disease.

“It has been almost 37 years since I graduated Heights High — and ‘Mr. T’ is still very much a part of the fabric of my life,” Joel Hershey wrote on the ever-swelling online guestbook that accompanies Thomas’ obituary at Legacy.com. “He played an enormous role in shaping so many of us. As one of my classmates already observed, he was the original ‘Mr. (Schuester) from Glee.’ He may have passed on, but his spirit lives on in the legacy of how he touched our lives.”

The Singers, as they refer to themselves, began lavishing well wishes and praise on Thomas — who led them in performances at venues across the United States and Canada over the years — since learning of his debilitating condition a few years ago.

“You were a man of tough love,” Susan Weidenthal Saltzman wrote in a letter to Thomas last month. “I was one of those students who appreciated your strict style. You had the highest expectations for your students, and those who worked to live up to your expectations were rewarded with a sense of achievement and accomplishment. You were also deeply compassionate.”

Members of the Doo Wops, a vocal group that started under Thomas’ direction at a choir concert in 1971 and became immensely popular regional performers of 1950s music, paid tribute to their mentor with a reunion concert in 2009.

William D. Thomas was born Aug. 24, 1942, in New Brighton, PA.

He graduated with a bachelor’s degree in music education from what is now Indiana University of Pennsylvania and earned a master’s degree in music education from Pennsylvania State University.

Thomas, who retired from Cleveland Heights High’s vocal music department in the late 1990s, began teaching in Peters Township in Washington County, PA, in the mid-1960s.

A year after arriving in Cleveland Heights, he began working behind the scenes on the summer productions at . He retired in 2002 as the park’s operations manager.

For most of his 35 years in Cleveland Heights, Thomas served as director of music at .

His former students say that Let It Be Me will be sung at Thomas’ 4 p.m. memorial service April 2 at Lord of Life Lutheran Church, 17989 Chillicothe Road, Chagrin Falls, OH 44023.

"It will be a heartfelt tribute when all those voices from 30 years join together in harmony to sing in honor of Bill Thomas one last time,” Patricia A. Smith, the former Patricia Sternberg, wrote on Cartouche’s Blog. "I can’t think of a more fitting conclusion to an emotional service for a dearly loved man (who we often referred to as ‘King Bill’) whose life has come to an end. They better not sing off-key.”

Calling hours are 2-4 and 6-8 p.m. March 29 at Gattozzi and Son Funeral Home, 12524 Chillicothe Road, Chester Township.

Donations may be made to the church or to the National Parkinson Foundation, Gift Processing Center, P.O. Box 5018, Hagerstown, MD 21741-5018.

Thomas is survived by his wife, Jane; children, Beth Davis, Janet Henry and W. David; five grandchildren; and sister, Shirley Mitchell.