CPD pioneer, Dr. Wilbur "Bill" Thain

May 31, 2016

Dr. Wilbur "Bill" Thain died following a short illness on April 30, 2016. Thain was a member of the original committee that planned and established the Exceptional Child Center (ECC), which later became the Center for Persons with Disabilities at Utah State University. He was integral to the formation and development of the Center, and he served as its first medical director for 13 years.

When the ECC first opened, Thain conducted medical and neurological evaluations. In time, the medical program grew and began to offer more comprehensive services. The clinic Thain was developing began to treat large numbers of children with Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD), a disorder that was widely misunderstood at the time. Additionally, the clinic became increasingly multidisciplinary, a tradition that lives on at the CPD to this day.

Thain was widely recognized for helping shape the identity and reputation of the fledgling CPD, as well as for serving thousands of families and helping train numerous young interns. His decades of service had an enormous influence on individuals with disabilities and their families, not only in the immediate vicinity, but throughout the region.