When we last caught up with John Thain, former CEO of Merrill Lynch, he was seen shepherding the Merrill through its 2008 merger with Bank of America.  And prior to that, he was garnering the wrong kind of publicity by furnishing his office with a $35,000 "commode on legs.” Now fast forward to April 2012, and Mr. Thain, who now runs the CIT Group, is one of 4 high profile fathers being honored at the 71st annual "Father of the Year" Awards event, presented by the Father's Day/Mother's Day Council.  Mr. Thain has 2 sons and 2 daughters. Other honorees at the June 14 luncheon program are basketball legend and part-time actor Shaquille O'Neal, Oscar Feldenkreis, president of Perry Ellis Int'l, and Reynold Levy, president of Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts. Past honorees include studio mogul Harvey Weinstein, Mayor Michael Bloomberg, and rapper LL Cool J. Mr. Thain is a noted philanthropist whose charity projects have included a prenatal care center at a New York hospital and a forest in the Bronx.  And he recently was interviewed for a PBS Frontline special about the roots of the financial crisis.   [Dealbook, 4/27/12]