Ron Thom was an extraordinarily influential architect whose work reflected such influences as the Prairie style of Frank Lloyd Wright and the more stark images of Modernity drawn from Bauhaus. By the early 1960s, Thom gained national recognition for his award-winning design of Massey College at the University of Toronto. It was during this time that Thomas H.B. Symons came to know Thom and admire his work. Shortly after, when Symons was appointed Trent's first president, the University hired Ron Thom as master planning architect to design and construct new buildings on Trent's Nassau Campus (now called Symons Campus). Thom's Trent buildings are Thomas J. Bata Library, Champlain College, Lady Eaton College, and the Chemistry Building. He is also credited with choosing their furniture and furnishings, and with renovating and furnishing properties that Trent purchased in the city of Peterborough prior to construction on the new campus. Ron Thom received an honorary degree from Trent University in 1971.