Reed Thompson Obituary

THOMPSON, Reed Kenneth Reed Thompson, 74, husband of Margaret Louise Drody Thompson, of Pinopolis, SC died Tuesday evening, September 27, 2005 at Roper Hospital, Charleston, SC, after a prolonged fight against prostate cancer. Graveside services will be held at Summerville Cemetery, Friday afternoon, September 30, 2005 at 2 o'clock. The service will be officiated by Dr. Harold M. West, Jr. of First Baptist Church of Moncks Corner, SC. Mr. Thompson was born February 20, 1931 in Alma, Georgia, a son of the late Howard Thompson and Larue Head Thompson. He was a member of the Baptist Church, Alma, GA. He began in Cub Scouts and continued through Boy Scouts, the Order of the Arrow to Eagle Scouts in the Alma, Georgia troop, where Mr. Thompson and his brother, Roger, became the first Eagle Scouts in Bacon County, GA. He served as Merit Badges Counselor as an adult in the scouting organizations. He graduated from Bacon County High School, Alma, GA. In 1953 he obtained his Bachelor's Degree in Electrical Engineering and in 1954 obtained his Master's Degree both from Georgia Tech, Atlanta, GA. He attended Georgia Institute of Technology on the Cooperative plan working for Satilla REA Coop in Alma and the Georgia Power Company in Atlanta. While at Georgia Tech, he was a member of Phi Kappa Tau, Co-op Club, Tau Beta Pi, Eta Kappa Nu and Briaerean honor societies. Additional graduate study was completed at the Roanoke Extension of the University of Virginia in languages. He taught Mathematics and the review for Professional Engineers Exam for UVA., took Computer Science at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and The General Electric Management Institute. He was a member of the Reserve Officers Training Corp where he received his commission as a second lieutenant in the Signal Corp, U. S. Army and served 8 years in the US Army inactive reserve culminated with honorable discharge as a first lieutenant. On June 20, 1954 he began a 40-year career with General Electric Company where he held increasingly managerial responsibilities until he retired on December 1, 1994. Mr. Thompson holds 7 US patents, 2 French patents and 1 patent each from the UK, Sweden, German, Italy and Japan. He participated in work of the National Electrical Manufacturers Association on industrial control and programmable control where he represented GE on five standards committees. He was a certified Professional Engineer for the Commonwealth of VA, a member of the National Society of Professionals Engineers, the American Association of Iron and Steel Engineers, the General Electric Management Association. His assignments in the Virginia Mountain Section included Hospitality Committee Chairman, Treasurer, Secretary, Vice-Chairman, Chairman and Nominating Committee Chairman. He was a member of the National Society of Professional Engineers and served the Virginia Society of Professional Engineers on the Board of Directors and Vice President. He served as Chairman of the Board of Governors of the Virginia Link of the Order of the Engineer. He received the GE Cordiner Award for outstanding contributions, the IEEE Centennial Award, the IEEE Region 3 Outstanding Service Award, a VSPE Outstanding Service Award and the GE Drive Systems award of Professionalism. His biography is included in Marquis' Who's Who in the South and Southwest and "Who's Who in the World." He was an active member of MENSA (an organization for the intellectually gifted) where he took the MENSA qualification exam and scored in the upper one percentile in the IQ of the total population of the world on his sixty-eighth birthday. He was an avid speaker on prostate awareness since being diagnosed in 1996 and an instrumental source of information for doctors in helping them learn about the latest treatments and also counseled with some of their patients. After retirement from GE he became more active in a family importation business serving as Secretary Treasurer. His interest in Genealogy resulted in his book, "The Thompson Family History." He was the author of many books which included "The Institute of Electrical and Electronic Treasurer's Software for Region 3", "Professional Environment for Knowledge Workers", "The Employers Responsibility", "Guest Feature: The Industrial Drives Committee", "IEEE Standard Practices and Requirements for General Purpose Thyristor DC Drives", "Digital Systems Techniques", "Digital Training Manual", "Sampled Data Systems Analysis", "The Application of digital-Analog Techniques for Metal Rolling Drive Systems", "Static Stepping Switch for Card Reader", "Blooming Mill Screwdown Control", "A Punched Card Control System for the Steel Industry and The Application of Static Switching Techniques to Programming Control." Survivors include his wife, Margaret Louise Drody Thompson of Pinopolis, SC; 2 Sons, Larry Stephen Thompson and his wife, Rebecca Angela Herbert Thompson of Charlotte, NC and Fred Lamar Thompson and his wife, Helen Catherine Mackin Thompson of Somers, CT; 3 Grandchildren, Rebecca Eryn Lanier Thompson of Charlotte, NC, Mary Elizabeth Thompson and Benjamin Patrick Thompson of Somers, CT; 2 Aunts, Ruth Holmes and Okie Harris of Savannah, GA and an Uncle, Dr. Ernest E. Thompson of West Indianapolis, IN; many nieces and nephews including his brother's children, Linda Thompson Roth of Hampton, GA and Jimmy Thompson of Birmingham, AL. Arrangements by PARKS FUNERAL HOME, 130 West lst North Street, Summerville, SC 29483. Visit our guestbook at www.charleston.net/deaths.