Honoring the Service of Thom Edlund
After 32 years of dedicated service to the Foundation for East European Family History Studies (FEEFHS), Dr. Thom Edlund has retired from his educational roles within the organization. We express our heartfelt gratitude for his decades of commitment, vision, and service to the East European genealogical community.
Thom's contributions to FEEFHS have been both extensive and transformative. As President of FEEFHS for almost two decades, he helped guide the organization through a period of significant growth and change. Under his leadership, FEEFHS evolved from an umbrella organization serving numerous East European genealogy societies into a leading educational organization dedicated to teaching family historians, researchers, and professional genealogists how to conduct effective East European genealogical research.
Education was always at the heart of Thom's service. For many years, he taught advanced genealogy courses on Russian family history research, sharing his deep expertise with researchers around the world. His classes were known for their depth, practical guidance, and ability to help students navigate the unique challenges of research in the Russian Empire and the former Soviet Union.
Thom also played a key role in FEEFHS publications. He served as editor of the FEEFHS Journal until its final publication in 2008, overseeing the dissemination of valuable research, methodologies, and resources that benefited genealogists across North America and beyond.
As a representative of FEEFHS, Thom regularly shared his expertise with the broader genealogy community. He presented at many different conferences, helping introduce thousands of researchers to the resources, methodologies, and opportunities available for East European family history research.
Beyond FEEFHS, Thom devoted his professional career to the study and preservation of Slavic history and language. At Brigham Young University, he served as a faculty member teaching Slavic Family History as well as church-Latin, while simultaneously working as a cataloger and subject librarian for Russian-language materials. Through both his teaching and library work, he helped generations of students and researchers gain access to the knowledge and resources needed to explore their heritage. Thom retired from BYU in summer 2023 after a distinguished academic career.
Thom's legacy within FEEFHS extends far beyond the positions he held. His vision helped shape the modern direction of the organization, his teaching inspired countless researchers, and his leadership strengthened FEEFHS's role as an educational resource for the international genealogy community.
On behalf of the Board of Directors and the entire FEEFHS community, we thank Thom for his 32 years of extraordinary service and dedication. We wish him all the best in his well-earned retirement and look forward to celebrating the lasting impact he has made on FEEFHS and East European genealogical research.
Thank you, Thom, for your leadership, scholarship, mentorship, and friendship. Your contributions to FEEFHS will be remembered for many years to come.
