William F. Thompson Jr., historian, devoted husband and father and longtime Madison resident, died  January 13, 2007, at age 77. He was born in San Francisco, California, on July 29, 1929, the son of William F. Thompson Sr. and Dorothy (Willi) Thompson.

 

Bill completed his Ph.D. in American history from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1959, after earning his bachelor's and master's degrees in history from Stanford University in 1951 and 1952, respectively. He was the Director of Research and then the State Historian at the State Historical Society of Wisconsin. During this time, Bill edited a six-volume history of Wisconsin and wrote the final book in this series. Prior to this, he was a professor of history at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh.

 

Bill was married to Nancy Green from 1951 to 1966. In 1968, he married Connie (Chaney) Carr, with whom he lived in Madison for 35 years, until her death in 2001. Bill was a man of varied and passionate interests. He was extremely involved in local politics and participated actively in numerous campaigns. Between 1970 and 1990, Bill served on the Landmarks Commission, the Plan Commission and the Board of Park Commissioners. He was the president of the Olbrich Botanical Society and then served on its Board of Directors. Bill was a voracious reader and made frequent trips to the bookstore to pick up the latest releases. In recent years, he was a member of a book club with some of his closest friends. Bill enjoyed both the lively discussions and the fine cuisine that accompanied the meetings. Hobbies over the years included woodworking, traveling, model train building and gourmet cooking, interests that he shared with family and friends.

 

Bill is survived by his sister, Caroline (Thompson) Mills (SPHS '51) of Scottsdale, Arizona; his children, Ross (Janet) Thompson of Davis, California, Susan (Alvin) Ligh of La Mirada, CA., Brian Thompson of Palo Alto, CA., and Michele (Timothy) McConnell of Monona; and his grandchildren, Megan (Bill) Smiley, Scott Thompson, Brian Thompson, Rebecca Carr, Noel Thompson, Kimberly Ligh, Christina Ligh, Adam McConnell, Ryan McConnell and Conner McConnell.

 

Bill was preceded in death by his wife, Connie Thompson; his parents, William and Dorothy Thompson; his daughter, Colette D. Carr; and his brother, Ross B. Thompson (SPHS '49).

 

Wisconsin State Journal, January 21, 2007