BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH


 Thomas Alan Pool was born May 19, 1960, in Tifton, Georgia, to Mr. and Mrs. William

H. Pool as the youngest of three sons. He graduated from the Tift County High School in June of

1978. At the age of ten, Thomas joined the 4-H Club, selecting petroleum power, beef, and swine

as chief areas of interest. During his tenure in 4-H Club, he showed many award-winning beef

and swine animals. He became a national winner in the petroleum power project in 1976,

receiving a scholarship from the Standard Oil Company of Illinois. Also in 1976, Thomas

placed fourth in the Eastern United States Tractor Operators Contest, judged on tractor

operation and safety skills.

 After graduation from high school, Thomas continued his education by attending

Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College (ABAC) in Tifton while continuing to help his father

on the family farm. He graduated from ABAC in December of 1980 with an Associate of Science

degree in agricultural engineering. He received the Bachelor of Science degree in agricultural

engineering from the University of Georgia in December of 1982. During the summers of his

junior and senior years, Thomas was employed by the University of Georgia and the Coastal

Plain Experiment Station. He assisted with research projects which involved testing new

concepts in crop spraying, analyzing the use of vegetable oils as alternate fuel sources for drying

tobacco, and evaluating the use of silica gels and clay products for reducing the moisture content

of pecans.

 Upon completion of his undergraduate degree, Thomas began work towards a Master of

Science degree in agricultural engineering at Texas A&M University. Project work for the MS

degree involved designing, constructing, and evaluating an automatic guidance system for

tractors with open-center hydraulic systems. The degree was completed in August of 1984.

During the fall of 1984, Thomas was again employed by the Coastal Plain Experiment Station

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