Changes of the Week

P: Charles Thomas, 62, quit after two years as president and chief executive officer of Trans World Airlines, fourth largest U.S. airline. A onetime (1954-57) Secretary of the Navy, Thomas brought TWA back from the edge of failure. The year he took over, the line lost $1,764,000. Thomas revamped the management, clamped down on operating costs, rushed the new Boeing 7073 into service. Last year TWA earned $9,400,000, had the highest load factor in the industry. But like other TWA presidents (four since 1947), Thomas had his problems with Howard Hughes, 54, TWA's eccentric owner. Although Thomas once told friends that he was ready to wear the collar Hughes puts on his presidents, the collar chafed increasingly as Thomas and Hughes quarreled over how to finance TWA's jet fleet. Hughes has not yet designated Thomas' successor.

P: Birny Mason Jr., 51, was named president of Union Carbide, the nation's second-largest chemical firm (1959 sales: $1.5 billion). He takes over from Howard S. Bunn, 60, who moves into the newly created post of vice chairman and is in line to succeed Morse G. Dial, 64, as board chairman and chief executive offi cer. Cornell-educated ('31) Birny Mason started out in research and production, moved into administration five years ago.

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