W. Spencer Thompson

W. Spencer Thompson passed away early in the evening of Sunday, May 26 – he was within a month of his 100th birthday. Spencer was born in Butte, Montana in 1913 and was a high school debate champion before leaving for Stanford in 1931. He graduated from Stanford business school in 1935 and was a graduate scholar at Harvard business school in the late 1930s. In 1936 he was a member of the presidential commission to reorganize the White House under FDR. He worked as deputy commissioner for the Bureau of Public Debt during World War II where he ran the war bonds program in Chicago. After the war he worked as a top administrator at the United Nations and left there in the late 1940s to work at the Ford Motor Company. In 1956 he went to the Atlas Powder Company in Wilmington, Delaware and worked for them, as they ultimately became part of Imperial Chemical Industries, a company based in London. While at ICI, Spencer was the first person to create and implement a 401k plan for the company. In the 1960’s Spencer served the state of Delaware in creating its state pension fund, and served as Chairman of the State Board of Pension Trustees until 1977. After relocating to Sedona, Arizona he served on their State Pension Board. The governors of both states honored his integrity, wisdom, prudence and tireless work.

Spencer married Jane Hillebrand in 1939 and had two children – Jennifer and Laird. He has 3 grandchildren and 4 great grandchildren. Following a divorce in 1969, Spencer married Evelyn Keegan, with whom he worked at Atlas and ICI, and remained with until her death last July. They were contented residents of Pebble Beach since 1988, and active in the Del Monte Forest Association. Spencer also loved playing bridge with the S.I.R.S, and they both enjoyed walking their standard Schnauzer in Huckleberry Hill and at the beach in Pacific Grove.

A good storyteller, especially about his early years in Montana and his interesting career, Spencer remained sharp, engaged, curious, and interested in the world until the end. His passion of the last 12 years has been what he sees as a great mistake the US Government has made in the way they handle their, and our, pension funds. He worked tirelessly to comb through documents and study the numbers, trying to get those in power to pay attention to their accounting practices. Many of those close to him were subjected to endless harangues on the subject; but his aim was for honesty, fairness and transparency in the government in which he had been proud to serve.

He also was keenly appreciative of the kindness and care he received in the last year from the staff at The Cottages of Carmel, where he has been living since Evelyn died, and from Partners for Transitions and Heartland Hospice. He loved the Monterey Peninsula deeply, and his last days out were trips to the beach in Carmel, to sit in the sun, gaze at the ocean, and enjoy the people and dogs walking by. He will be very much missed by his family, and by all who knew him.

There will be no services at his request, but if you would like to honor him, go to http://offbudgetdebt.blogspot.com/ , read the piece he and his son wrote , and consider taking some kind of action.