A Professor of Business Administration at the University of Vermont from 1981-1994, he served also as Dean of the School of Business from 1981-1985.  Professor Thimm played an important role in supporting the accomplishments of his colleagues and his students at the Business School.

Dr. Thimm taught for twenty-one years at Union College, Schenectady, New York, where he was a Professor of Economics and Industrial Administration; Director, Ph.D. Program in Administrative and Engineering Systems; and Director, Institute of Administration and Management.  In the early years of his academic career, he held posts at Clarkson College, St. Lawrence University, and Wagner College.

Professor Thimm was twice named a Fulbright Scholar, first in 1967-68 at the Technische Hockhschule, Graz, Austria, and again in 1993 at the Wirtschafts Universitaet, Vienna.  He was frequently invited to be a guest professor at the University of Munich and the Wirtschafts Universitaet.  During his career he published five books, including America's Stake in Telecommunication Policy, and The False Promise of Co-determination, as well as numerous journal articles and monographs.

He was devoted to physical fitness and many outdoor activities, including skiing and hiking, and he was an enthusiastic traveler.  He is survived by his wife of forty-nine years, Patricia Mullen Thimm, his son Alfred L. Thimm, Jr., and his wife Andrea of Washington, D.C.; his son Peter H. Thimm and his wife Laurie of Wilsonville, OR; by a sister Inge Gander and her husband Edwin of Innsbruck, Austria; and by four grandchildren Nicholas, Lukas, and Daniel Thimm of Washington and Audrey Thimm of Wilsonville.