The following story about Elaine Thomas was published prior to Thomas pleading guilty to fraud in 2021 for faking the results of strength tests on steel used to make US Navy submarines. The article below will remain for archival purposes.
By Tina Hilding, Voiland College of Engineering & Architecture
TACOMA, Wash. – As a pioneer in her field, Elaine Thomas joins generations of women in the traditional art of baking – but at 3,000 degrees.
The Washington State University alumna recently became the first woman to receive the Steel Founders Society of America’s (SFSA) Charles W. Briggs Memorial Technical & Operating Medal for career contributions in metallurgy. The award includes a scholarship donation, which she gave to WSU.
In 1976, she was the first woman to graduate from WSU with a degree in metallurgy.
From music to metallurgy
When she came to WSU as a freshman, Thomas planned to be a music major. But after her freshman year, she spent time with a neighbor who, as chief metallurgist for the Boeing Co., encouraged her to pursue metallurgy.
Chemistry and math came easily to her, and she liked them. She had also been at the top of her class in high school.
“This was something I could do,” she said. “It didn’t involve working under the hood of a car or standing out in the rain. It was about using your brain instead of your brawn.’’
She changed her major.
The metallurgy class had only four students, and they struggled through the difficult subject together. Thomas sometimes studied with the handful of women taking engineering and sciences classes. Her professors, including Servet Duran and Bruce Masson, were supportive.
Thomas said she became comfortable with not knowing the answer and with looking for ways to find it.
“I think that was an important lesson,’’ she said.
Plowing a path in ‘men’s world’
Shortly after graduation, she went to work at Battelle before joining Atlas Foundry. The Tacoma-based company, which later became Bradken Tacoma, makes high quality, high-specification parts for energy producers.
Thomas was often the only woman on the job site. Recently, in fact, she found her application letter for Atlas. It was marked, “No G,’’ for “no girls.” But Duran, her WSU advisor, called the person doing the hiring and strongly encouraged him to hire Thomas.
The workplace wasn’t always friendly to women, and Thomas suffered plenty of harassment in the male-dominated world.
Looking back, there were instances that were not acceptable, she said. Sometimes, she literally trembled as she confronted discrimination and worked to do her job.
But she also had many wonderful cohorts who looked after her, she said.
“I thought I lived in modern times. In retrospect, I was wrong,’’ she said. “So, you just have to stand your ground. What can I say – I was pushing the snow out of the way to make the path.’’
Mentoring, inspiring next generation
These days, Thomas enjoys mentoring students and has seen the number of women in materials engineering grow.
“Hopefully, I have made it better for them so they can inherit a freer path,’’ she said.
At Bradken, Thomas works primarily with the melt shop and heat-treating operations as well as managing the chemistry and mechanical testing labs. She has worked as a welding engineer.
She said she feels privileged to have worked with the top people in materials engineering in the world, helping to modify specifications for materials. Her work has worldwide implications.
“I have been very fortunate to deal with brilliant minds in this industry,” she said. “The SFSA group is primarily men and a handful of incredible women. They are the nicest people on earth.’’
She is pleased that the scholarship from her prize will provide support and guidance for the next generation of young men and women.
“It’s important to me to help other people,’’ she said. “It’s paying it forward, which I love. I’m very pleased with what I’ve been able to do.”