Commencement, featuring retired Virginia Supreme Court Justice John Charles Thomas, will be held Saturday, May 12, at 9:30 a.m. on Wheeler Mall. When Thomas was appointed to the Supreme Court of Virginia in 1983, he was the first African-American and the youngest (32) person of any race to be appointed. He left the court in 1989 and now is a senior partner with the Hunton & Williams law firm in Richmond, where he practiced before his time on the state supreme court.