Peggy Thomas joined the American Legion Auxiliary through her late husband, John C. Thomas, a U.S. Army veteran. She is the first national president from Virginia since Anna Gear in 1983-1984.
Thomas, a 31-year member of the Auxiliary, has held numerous leadership positions in the organization at the unit, district and department levels. At the national level, she just completed her term as vice president and has served as chairman of the following committees: Veteran Affairs & Rehabilitation, Children & Youth, Leadership, National Security, Constitution & Bylaws, Poppy, Legislative, and Membership. She has served her Virginia department as president, secretary and chairman of a variety of committees including the Advisory Committee for 10 years. Thomas served as Unit President twice, once for Auxiliary Unit 144 and again for Unit 137. She has held all chairmanships in both units.
A retired vice president of a petroleum distributorship with three divisions, Thomas continues the American Legion Auxiliary motto of Service Not Self by volunteering as the Veterans Affairs Voluntary Service deputy at the Hunter Holmes McGuire VAMC in Richmond, Va.
Thomas has one married daughter, Dr. Lisa Chaplain, and is currently a member of Lutheran Church of Our Savior, National Association of Parliamentarians, and the Bellwood Defense Supply Women’s Club and past president of M. Stanley Ryan Unit of Parliamentarians.