MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE
2005 3rd Extraordinary Session
To: Rules
By: Senator(s) Walls, Jackson (11th), Jordan, Thomas, Butler, Jackson (32nd), Harden, Simmons, Williamson
A RESOLUTION COMMENDING THE LIFE AND DEDICATED PUBLIC SERVICE OF HONORABLE WALTER WRIGHT THOMPSON, SR., OF CLARKSDALE, MISSISSIPPI, AND EXPRESSING THE SYMPATHY OF THE LEGISLATURE.
WHEREAS, Honorable Walter Thompson, Sr., 58, an attorney and friend to the most powerful Democrats in the country, died September 29, 2004, in Memphis, Tennessee. Funeral services were held October 1, 2004, at St. George's Episcopal Church in Clarksdale, Mississippi; and
WHEREAS, he was born in Bentonia and grew up in Southern Mississippi. His father was a farmer and he and his brothers all lived in the same room. The urge to be thrifty was one he carried with him all his life, said his eldest son, Walter Wright Thompson, Jr., a Journalist who lives in Kansas City, Missouri; and
WHEREAS, Thompson's desire was to become a lawyer, so he attended both undergraduate and graduate school at the University of Mississippi. He first started practicing law in the 1970s, and his first firm was with then Lt. Gov. Charlie Sullivan of Clarksdale. Law and politics were always high on his list; and
WHEREAS, "Practicing law was truly one of his passions," Wright said. "He literally had clients from Bill Clinton to some who paid his fee with tomatoes. His real passion for the past decade had been with lawsuits involving nursing homes. It was more than a job, he was generally upset about the way the elderly were treated." Politics and his church, St. George's Episcopal, were also huge parts of Thompson's life; and
WHEREAS, when he was in high school, he was a Page for Senator John Stennis, and he was actually on the Senate floor when Medicare became law. He was among one of the first group of people on an exploratory committee for Bill Clinton's campaign. He was a life-long member of the Democratic Party, and a national fundraiser for people like John Glenn, Al Gore and Bill Clinton; and
WHEREAS, Walter was good friends with a lot of civil rights leaders and he was very passionate about equal opportunity; and
WHEREAS, among the survivors is Thompson's wife of 34 years, Mary McKenzie, a native of Shelby. Other survivors include a son, William McKenzie Thompson; and brothers, Frazier R. Thompson of Memphis, William P. Thompson of Yazoo City and Michael H. Thompson of Memphis; and
WHEREAS, Thompson served as the Chairman of the Coahoma County Democratic Committee for 21 years. Thompson served on the Democratic Committee until his death, and those who worked with him spoke fondly of him; and
WHEREAS, a retired Captain with the Judge Advocate General (JAG) Corps in the United States Army Reserve, he was born on April 14, 1946. He graduated from the University of Mississippi in 1968, and the University of Mississippi Law School in 1971; and
WHEREAS, Thompson was a former President of the Coahoma County Chamber of Commerce and a member of the Board of Governors of the Mississippi Trial Lawyers Association. Thompson also served on the Mississippi Democratic Executive Committee and the Board of Directors for the Democratic National Executive Committee. He was the Mississippi State Finance Chairman for Senator John Glenn, Governor Michael Dukakis, Governor Bill Clinton and Senator Al Gore and the Mississippi Finance Chairman for the Clinton-Gore Presidential Campaign. In 2004, he was awarded the Stanford Young Award for the Most Outstanding Democratic Attorney in Mississippi. He was also a member of Omicron Delta Kappa, Scabbard and Blade and Phi Delta Theta. He was a member of the Lamar Order, University of Mississippi Law Center, and served on the vestry of St. George's Episcopal Church; and
WHEREAS, it is with sadness that we note the passing of this respected Mississippi lawyer, whose influence extended to our nation's capital:
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI, That we do hereby commend the life and dedicated public service of Honorable Walter Wright Thompson, Sr., of Clarksdale, Mississippi, and express to his family the sympathy of the Senate on his passing.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That this resolution be presented to the surviving family of Walter Thompson, Sr., and be made available to the Capitol Press Corps.