Ralph was born and raised in Saint John, New Brunswick. He is married to Judith Meinert Thomas of Saint John, New Brunswick, and he has two sons, Jeffrey and Michael, from a previous marriage.

 

Ralph spent the better part of 33 years promoting and developing the sport at the amateur level, both in Saint John and throughout the province. Ralph was the New Brunswick Amateur Association's first President, and served 20 years at the helm of the organization. He also served on the Board of Directors of the Canadian Amateur Boxing Association for 28 years. In 1976 Mr. Thomas received the Canadian Amateur Boxing Association's Builder Award in recognition of his contributions at a National level.

 

Mr. Thomas has been recognized for his qualities as a leader, adviser, negotiator, mentor, role model and motivator. He is known for his positive attitude, quiet strength, speaking with passion and conviction, leading by example. Ralph is a founding member of the New Brunswick Black History Society and served as Board Member for various non-profit organizations including the Kings Landing Historical Settlement. Mr. Thomas is a recipient of the Queen Elizabeth II Gold-en Jubilee Medal, the YMCA Peace Medal and the Toastmasters Communications and Leadership Award.

 

Since 1997, Mr. Thomas has been president of PRUDE Inc., and advocacy and service group for Black, Ethnic and Newcomer communities in Saint John. He has led PRUDE to expand their mandate by including visible multicultural minortities and newcomers, and to mitigate the barriers faced by women from these communities. He championed an awareness program to challenge Racial and Ethnic stereotypes among youth, and developed partnerships with the Anglophone School District and Multicultural groups. Mr. Thomas was honored in 2012 as a recipient of the New Brunswick Human Rights Award.