Melvin Thom (born July 28, 1938) was born on the Walker River Indian Reservation, Walker River Paiute reservation in Schurz, Nevada.Shreve, Bradley Glenn. "Red Power Rising: The National Indian Youth Council and the Origins of Intertribal Activism." p.159 Diss. U of Mexico, 2007. A leader in the movement for Native American civil rights, Thom was one of the founders of the National Indian Youth Council in the 1960s.Cobb, Daniel M.(2008). ''Native Activism In Cold War America: The Struggle for Sovereignty'', University Press of Kansas, Kansas. .

Background

Thom graduated from Lyon County High School in Yerington, Nevada and then studied civil engineering at Brigham Young University. At BYU, he was President of the Tribe of Many Feathers Club for three years and also President of the Southwest Regional Indian Youth Council.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Thom, Mel Native American activists Northern Paiute people Brigham Young University alumni 1938 births Living people People from Mineral County, Nevada People from Yerington, Nevada Activists from Nevada 20th-century Native Americans 21st-century Native Americans