Thomas Thompson Thomas H. Thompson died on April 28, 2016, at NewAldaya, Cedar Falls, Iowa. He was born in Sioux City, Iowa, on January 10, 1924, to parents Ruth and Elmer Thompson. He was married to Diane Sargent Thompson for fifty-eight years, until her death on his ninety-first birthday, January 10, 2015. He is survived by his children Brenda Thompson, Alicia Kamm (and her husband Tom Kamm), Mark Thompson, and Rosemary Thompson; and his grandchildren Evan, Brian, and Lydia Kamm. Thomas began playing in jazz and dance bands while a student at East High School in Sioux City, and for a time had a full-time job playing jazz in a nightclub. He continued playing his baritone saxophone in band jobs through the 1950s and 1960s, and much later with the Cedar Falls Municipal Band and with his own California Street Sax Quartet, which performed at community events. He earned his undergraduate degree (1948), master’s degree (1950), and Ph. D. (1952), all in philosophy at the University of Iowa. He spent his entire career at the University of Northern Iowa, starting as an instructor in philosophy in 1952. He rose through the ranks, becoming the first head of the Department of Philosophy and Religion in 1969, and then dean of the College of Humanities and Fine Arts in 1981. He went back to teaching large sections in humanities in the liberal arts core program in 1990, and was named a professor emeritus upon his retirement in 1994. Thomas was a regular contributor to the editorial page of the Waterloo Courier, and participated in UNI’s Emeritus Association, the town-and-gown supper club, a decades-long book club, and several lunch groups with his former colleagues. A memorial service will be held Wednesday, June 1, 2016, at 11 a.m. at Richardson Funeral Home, 615 Main Street in Cedar Falls. All are welcome. To send flowers or a memorial gift to the family of Thomas H. Thompson please visit our Sympathy Store. From Richardson Funeral Home page; downloaded May 1, 2016.
