In Memory of our Colleague
Dorothy Perry Thompson
June 25, 1944--January 4, 2002

[her biography]  [recent articles on Dot]  [one of her poems]  [African American Studies webpage]
[memorial information] [buying her books]

            Dorothy Perry Thompson was born in Springfield, SC, on June 25, 1944, and grew up with her siblings Edna Hall and Norman (Josh), James, Andra (Lit) , and Todd Whaley, in the Wheeler Hill neighborhood of Columbia that figures so prominently in her poetry. She graduated from Booker T. Washington High School in 1962 and received her B.A. in English from Allen University in 1968 and her Master of Arts in Teaching from the University of South Carolina, Columbia, in 1974.  After teaching in the public high schools, including Riverside High (Saluda), Lower Richland High (Hopkins), and Dreher High (Columbia), she returned to USC-Columbia, where in 1987 she became the second African American in the school’s history to earn a Ph.D. in English and the first African American to complete a creative writing dissertation there, under the direction of James Dickey.

At her death, Dr. Thompson was Professor of English at Winthrop University, where she was a gifted and beloved scholar, teacher, and mentor. She taught courses in American literature, poetry, and African American literature and coordinated the University’s African American Studies program. Among her publications are three collections of poetry (To Fly With The Puffin(1995), Priest in Aqua Boa (2001), and Hurrying the Spirit: Following Zora (2002)), the anthology Out of the Rough (2001) , and numerous essays and chapters on literary topics. In 2000, Creative Loafing named her "the best poet in Charlotte;" in 2001, she was nominated for the post of Poet Laureate of South Carolina.

Most recently she was active in the Diamonds Project at Walls Memorial A.M.E. Zion Church in Charlotte, NC.  She was a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority and the South Carolina Academy of Authors and was listed in Who’s Who Among American Women. She is mourned by her husband, Johnnie C. Thompson; her children Johnnie C. Thompson III and his wife Catherine, Danya Thompson Ochoa and her husband Albert, and Jene Collin Thompson and his wife Aletrea; eight grandchildren; and many grieving relatives, friends, colleagues, and students.

©Creative Loafing, 2000

Some recent articles on Dot Thompson:

• Rose [Parkman Davis] Marshall's essay on Hurrying the Spirit: Following Zora

• Andrew Skerritt's memorial in the Rock Hill Herald, January 6, 2002

• Amy Rogers' biographical sketch from Creative Loafing, February 27, 1999
             (thanks to Ann Wicker, Amy Rogers, and the folks from Creative Loafing for
             permission to post this article)

• Dan Huntley's memorial in the Charlotte Observer, January 6, 2002

• Her entry in the "Notable African Americans in South Carolina" website at USC-Aiken

©Creative Loafing, 1999

Memorial Services and Remembrances:

We thank all the individuals and organizations who participated in the many memorial events that honored Dot's life, work, and legacy. The family have asked that memorial donations in Dot's name be made to the African American Studies Program at Winthrop. Please make checks out to the Winthrop Foundation, and indicate African American Studies or Dorothy Perry Thompson on the memo line of the check. Contributions may be mailed to the Winthrop Foundation, 105 Kinard Hall, Winthrop University, Rock Hill SC 29733-0001.

From Her Writings

Buying Her Books

Fly with the Puffin is out of print. Priest in Aqua Boa is available from Ninety-Six Press. Out of the Rough is available from Blair Press, and on Amazon.com. Hurrying the Spirit: Following Zora is available from Palanquin Press. The English Department at Winthrop will have a limited number of copies available for sale at half price while they last; please contact the department in 230 Bancroft or at 323-2171 for more information.