Through These Halls: Gerry Thomas

There are some brand names so ubiquitous that they become the common name for an object. If you need facial tissue, you ask for a Kleenex. If you need a cotton swab, you ask for a Q-tip.

If you want a pre-portioned frozen meal, you ask for a TV dinner.

And you can get one, thanks to a 1948 Nebraska grad. Gerry Thomas was part of the sales staff for Swanson’s (Omaha) in 1954 when he came up with the concept for the TV dinner. The first meals were packaged in foil plates and baked in the oven.