Dr. Tommy Joe Thompson

Dr. Tommy J. Thompson, 78, was born in Hammond, Louisiana, on December 30, 1947. He graduated from Southeastern High School in Hammond (1965) and Southeastern Louisiana University (1969) with a B.S. in Mathematics with honors. He completed both his M.A. in Mathematics (1973) and his Ph.D. in Mathematics (1982) at the University of Texas at Austin. He resided in Texas from 1969 to 2025, except between 1990 and 1991, when he taught mathematics at Seminole College and lived in Lake Mary, Florida.

From 1973 to 1975, Tommy served as Facilities Manager of the Southwest District of Burroughs Corporation in Dallas. In 2019, he was recognized for forty years of distinguished service to the Dallas County Community College District, where he taught mathematics. He taught developmental mathematics, college algebra, statistics, differential equations, and all three calculus courses. From 2013 to 2018, he served as the Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP) Director, overseeing and participating in the implementation of the plan, It All Begins With ME – Math Empowerment. He provided leadership, guided focus groups, scheduled and led meetings, and significantly contributed to the success of the plan. The QEP Implementation Committee was a large committee of twenty‑four members from all areas of the college.

From 1991 to 2022, he taught mathematics at Cedar Valley College in Lancaster, Texas, and served as Lead Advisor for the Phi Theta Kappa chapter. For sixteen years, Tommy served as Faculty President, and during most of that time, the faculty association maintained 100 percent membership.

District Service

In the Dallas County Community College District (DCCCD), now Dallas College, Tommy served as Co‑chair of the Academic Calendar Committee. In addition, he was the Cedar Valley lead champion for the Visions of Excellence program for ten years, mentoring faculty and planning professional development activities. In 2016, he became a DCCCD Certified Mentor by completing training modules aimed at professional development for new full‑time faculty in the Chancellor’s Fellows Program. Tommy served as the Guided Pathways Champion for Cedar Valley from 2017 to 2020.

He also served as Vice President of the district faculty association for eight years and was elected President of the DCCCD Faculty Council for the academic years 2009–2010, 2010–2011, and 2021–2022. He was instrumental in advocating for the district Welfare and Benefits Committee and continuously supported faculty in improving their benefits. (Dallas College employs more than 900 full‑time faculty.)

For two years, Tommy led the DCCCD Phi Theta Kappa advisors in collaborating with Chancellor Joe May to provide membership scholarships to Phi Theta Kappa students. Ninety‑two percent of DCCCD Phi Theta Kappa members transfer to complete a bachelor’s degree.

In 2017, Tommy served as a leader on the DCCCD STEM Pathways for Calculus Committee. He facilitated one of the webinars and encouraged participants to share their research and ideas.

Dr. Thompson on Teaching

“Teaching empowers me to be who I am and the best that I can be. Teaching college mathematics is the nature of my authentic self, where I feel deep gladness. Students, subject matter, and teacher meet and form a sense of community. Teaching is my way of combining self and service. In teaching, I feel a sense of excitement, fulfillment, and expectation that is sustaining, rewarding, and invigorating.”

State Service

At the state level, Tommy represented the DCCCD by collaborating with the Undergraduate Education Advisory Committee (UEAC) for three years. The committee, formed by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, included community college administrators, university faculty and administrators, and graduate‑level faculty and administrators. Through Tommy’s participation, Cedar Valley College and the DCCCD strengthened articulation and communication.

Additionally, Tommy was active in the Texas Community College Teachers Association (TCCTA) for more than forty years. In addition to serving as TCCTA Mathematics Section Chair, he served two‑year terms on the legislative, membership, convention, and professional development committees. He participated in numerous conventions and committees throughout his career.

He served as District II Coordinator for Phi Theta Kappa from 1999 to 2013. During that time, the twenty chapters of District II consistently led the Texas Region due to his leadership. At state Phi Theta Kappa conferences, he served as a seminar leader for students attending Texas community colleges and was a featured speaker at regional events. He led discussions of the Phi Theta Kappa and Kellogg Foundation text Leadership Development Studies: A Humanities Approach. As Lead Advisor of Cedar Valley College’s Phi Theta Kappa chapter, he encouraged students to pursue state officer roles and helped them secure transfer scholarships. He fostered relationships with East Texas Baptist University, Texas Tech University, Dallas Baptist University, and Southern Methodist University. Tommy received both the Most Distinguished Advisor Award and the Pinnacle Award for Distinguished Advisors in the Texas Region.

National Service

Nationally, Tommy was an active member and leader in the American Mathematical Association of Two‑Year Colleges (AMATYC) for forty years. He served as convention co‑chair and evaluation co‑chair and presented workshops with Cedar Valley College mathematics faculty. He also served as a reviewer for major mathematics textbook publishers, especially in the areas of college algebra, statistics, and calculus. Tommy often remarked that the professional development provided by AMATYC was essential to effective mathematics instruction.

Tommy earned every advisor award from Phi Theta Kappa, the international honor society for two‑year colleges. The Cedar Valley chapter was named Most Distinguished Chapter in 2014, second finalist in 2015, and first runner‑up in 2016. Tommy was active in Phi Theta Kappa for twenty‑six years. At the annual International Convention each April, he served as a facilitator in the Honors in Action Academy and led or co‑led educational forums at numerous international conventions. He received both the Continued Excellence Award for Advisors and the Mosal Leadership Award.

Tommy led workshops on assessment with Dr. Ron Carriveau, University of North Texas QEP Director and Outcomes and Assessment Specialist, at state and national conferences on “Obtaining, Managing, Reporting, and Using Outcome Attainment Measures at All Institutional Levels to Improve Learning.” They conducted workshops at Texas A&M University, Indiana University–Purdue University Indianapolis, and within the DCCCD.

Personal Interests

Tommy was a member of the Dallas Museum of Art and the Kimbell Art Museum. He enjoyed classical music, playing the piano, reading, classic films, and traveling. He was a lifetime member of the Southeastern Louisiana University Alumni Association.

Family

Tommy was preceded in death by his sister, Mary Thompson Burke of Lewisville, TX; his parents, Mr. and Mrs. William M. Thompson, Sr. of Hammond, LA; and his grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. Willis M. Thompson of Hammond, LA, and Rev. and Mrs. William T. Jones of Temple, TX.

He is survived by his sister, Nancy K. Thompson of Hammond, LA; his brother, William M. Thompson Jr. of Hammond, LA; as well as an uncle, an aunt, a niece, nephews, many cousins, and numerous other family members and friends.

A celebration of the life of Dr. Tommy Thompson is planned for a later date.