Forest Park Forever Honors Lawrence E. Thomas with 2026 Leffingwell Award
Larry Thomas signs a beam to be installed in the renovated Steinberg Rink facility at the Glade in Forest Park at an event held on Thursday, May 28, 2026
St. Louis civic leader and Forest Park Forever board member Lawrence E. “Larry” Thomas will receive this year’s Leffingwell Award in recognition of his dedication to restoring and enhancing one of the nation’s premier urban parks. Named for Hiram W. Leffingwell, an early supporter of Forest Park’s founding 150 years ago, the Leffingwell Award honors individuals whose exceptional leadership, philanthropy and personal commitment have helped preserve and enhance the Park.
Thomas’ connection to Forest Park spans decades. In the summer of 1972, before his senior year of high school, Larry traveled to St. Louis from Vicksburg, Mississippi, to perform with his band at the Elks National Convention. He and his bandmates stayed in WashU campus housing during the event. Thomas fell in love with the university—and then St. Louis and Forest Park—after enrolling at WashU the following fall.
During his undergraduate years at WashU in the 1970s, Forest Park served as Thomas’ backyard. “Forest Park has been a source of joy, connection and inspiration since I first came to St. Louis,” said Thomas. “Receiving the Leffingwell Award from Forest Park Forever is a profound honor. The Park is a gem that belongs to the entire region, so helping to sustain it for future generations is one of the highlights of my civic life.”
Over the past 26 years, Thomas’ service and leadership have been instrumental to Forest Park Forever’s work. First joining the Board of Directors in 2000, Thomas went on to serve as Board Chair starting in 2018, helping guide strategic efforts to restore and maintain historic Park landmarks and expand Forest Park Forever’s endowment to ensure Forest Park is cared for in perpetuity.
“Larry’s passion for Forest Park and his steadfast belief that it must remain welcoming, accessible and world class embody the spirit of the Leffingwell Award,” said Forest Park Forever President and Executive Director, Lesley S. Hoffarth. “From his board involvement to his personal generosity, Larry has played a pivotal role in ensuring that the Park is maintained at the highest standard for all visitors.”
Thomas is widely recognized as a dedicated civic leader and philanthropist. A retired partner at Edward Jones—where he spent more than four decades—Thomas has lent his leadership to top educational, cultural and human-services institutions across St. Louis. In addition to his role as Executive Committee member and a director emeritus of the Forest Park Forever Board of Directors, Thomas serves as chair of the Board of Commissioners for the St. Louis Zoological Park Subdistrict Commission, vice chair of the Executive Committee of the United Way of Greater St. Louis, a member of the WashU Board of Trustees, co-chair of With You: The WashU Campaign and an emeritus director of the Barnes-Jewish Hospital Foundation.
The Leffingwell Award will be presented to Thomas at Forest Park Forever’s annual fall event for Leffingwell Society members on October 15, 2026.