Jack W. Thomas

Thomas enlisted in the United States Navy for four years in 1950 during the period of the Korean War. He entered the University of Arizona on the G.I. Bill earning a Bachelor of Arts in 1957. The following year Thomas traveled through Europe and Mexico.

Thomas became a screenwriter working for Robert L. Lippert's 20th Century Fox B picture unit Regal Films later Associate Producers Incorporated where he wrote the films Lone Texan (1959), 13 Fighting Men (1960) and 20,000 Eyes (1961). His experience led him to co-write the screenplay for Michael Curtiz's Francis of Assisi (1961) for Fox. In 1962 Thomas produced and wrote the documentary We'll Bury You that was released by Columbia Pictures. He used his profits to travel to Egypt in 1964 where he wrote a script for an unmade documentary, Nine Bows to Conquer.

Seeking secure and rewarding work, Thomas became a Los Angeles County deputy probation officer for six years. His experiences led him to write a series of 11 novels for Bantam Books about troubled youth that were translated into five languages and sold over 1.5 million copies.

Thomas returned to screenwriting for Embryo (1976).

Thomas married Cathleen "Casey" Cagney (1940-2004) the daughter of James Cagney in 1962. Thomas assisted Cagney in his autobiography Cagney By Cagney. Jack and Cathleen had two children; Verney Lee and Christina May. Jack and Cathleen divorced in 1981.