Edward Thompson III
December 20, 1949 ~ March 28, 2024
On Thursday, March 28, 2024, Dr. Edward Thompson III passed away at 74 years of age. He was born on December 20, 1949, in Tucson, Arizona, to Dr. Floyd Thompson Sr. (the city of Tucson's first Black dentist) and Mrs. Nellie (Crawford) Thompson.
Dr. Thompson earned a Bachelor of Arts degree at the University of Arizona and a Ph.D. at Howard University. He was a post-doctoral Congressional Fellow with the American Political Science Association and an Executive Fellow with the American Council on Education. He worked as a Professor of Political Science and later became an executive vice president and provost at several different colleges and universities across the country. He also wrote scholarly pieces on a wide variety of subjects that were published in academic journals such as Social Science Quarterly, National Political Science Review, and Journal of Ethnic Studies to name only several.
During his career, Dr. Thompson was a member of the California Statewide Academic Senate and Chair of the Fiscal and Governmental Affairs Committee. He also delivered papers at American and international universities including Harvard, Howard, Heidelberg (Germany), Seoul National, and Kyungbook Sanup (also Korea).
Dr. Thompson was father to four children and instilled in them the importance of ambition, achievement, and work ethic.
Those who knew Dr. Thompson would describe him as formidable, cerebral, witty, ambitious, and analytical. He was dedicated to his career in higher education, was unrelenting in his pursuit of professional exceptionalism, and was committed to academic excellence. He enjoyed engaging others in scholarly discussions about politics, international affairs, and social issues.
Dr. Thompson was also passionate about reading books and newspapers and about writing. In fact, during his retirement, he was a Special Contributor to the Arizona Daily Star, with his last contribution in January 2020.
Dr. Thompson was preceded in death by his father, Dr. Floyd Thompson Sr., his mother, Nellie Crawford Thompson, and his brother Floyd Thompson. He is survived by his children, Sergeant Brian D. Thompson (Emma), Dr. Letitia K. Thompson Dzirasa (Delali), Dr. Miriam E. Thompson, and Ms. Maryah E. Thompson, MSW; his siblings, Jacqueline Douglas, Nellie Kathleen Thompson, James "Bo" Thompson, and Jeanne Herron Thompson; his grandchildren, Dominic Williams-Dzirasa, Tyler B. Thompson, Elijah Thompson, Jaden Dzirasa, and Mishka M. Thompson; and several cousins, nieces, and nephews.
Public viewing: Saturday, April 13, 2024, 12:30 pm–2:30 pm at Vaughn C. Greene Funeral Services, 8728 Liberty Road, Randallstown, Maryland 21133.