Al Thomma
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Al is Chairman Emeritus of the GFSA, and together with Al Foster, worked to keep the Veiltail alive in the U.S. Al is a minimalist when it comes to raising goldfish - no gravel, decorations, etc., just a bare tank (and frequent water changes). Over the years, more people have come around to his way of thinking. Al's special interest these days is in "blue belly" fish, which are a form of nacreous fish which pass on this unique characteristic.
Al Thomma and Dr. Joe Smartt present Francis Weng with a class ribbon; Image courtesy of GFSA Remembering Al When I think of Al Thomma the thing I remember most was his never-ending enthusiasm for knowledge yet to be discovered relating to goldfish color and scale inheritance. Right up to the very end of his life his joy for new discoveries in color and scale inheritance never diminished. In the 70's when we first met he was already respected by both British and American hobbyists for his studies regarding color inheritance. It was logical that he would have had close ties to British hobbyists due to the presence of linebred strains in that country and research done by earlier individuals. One learns little regarding genetics crossing F1 outcross to F1 outcross as often done in the U.S., strains of known ancestry are needed. Even then he was already a Fellow in the Goldfish Society of Great Britain, no small feat for an American! When I go through old GFSA bulletins from the 70"s and compare that knowledge to what is known today, it is somewhat depressing. Knowledge of color and scale inheritance, how fish that we purchase are produced, has not increased to a great degree. Al was one of the few exceptions, his inquisitive mind never ceased to amaze. Just a few weeks ago in a conversation with me, Al recalled a certain phrase, rather blunt on my part, that I had used in an article over 20 years ago! He had loved my rather straight to the heart of the matter comment regarding a certain situation and remembered exactly what I had said and was still laughing. It made no difference if you were a beginner or veteran, Al had time and patience for all. He certainly had strong opinions on most related subjects of our hobby but made sure that if repeated, they would not cause harm or embarrassment to other individuals. He was a gentleman. The best way we can honor Al's life and commitment is to continue his studies. We need to breed more, document, share our findings and then try to draw conclusions regarding what we have observed. Our overseas sources of goldfish will probably not always be there for us in the future. And like Al, we will all find the joy of discovery of the unknown which will strengthen our hobby. Nothing would make Al more happy. David Linnemeyer New Orleans
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