In the coming weeks as Dr. Jim Krudop takes over as the director for the Greenville campus of Lurleen

B. Wallace

Community College, it is important to note the person he replaces, Dr. Jean Thompson.

Since 1992, Dr. Thompson spearheaded the drive to make the Greenville campus more than what she found it. When the first new building was finished, she was there. In the years that followed, enrollment grew and because of her longtime experience in public education, she knew what to do to keep the trend going.

It became apparent very quickly that many college students wanted to take their core education courses close to home before transferring to other institutions. Since she took over as director, many students have gone on to earn higher degrees at the undergraduate level and graduate level.

In her time as director, Dr. Thompson didn't stop her day at 5 p.m. and could often be found teaching English composition classes or literature classes, sometimes as late as 10 p.m. at night.

Now, she has chosen to step aside and let someone else nurture the campus and its programs that she worked so hard on in her tenure. At the announcement in 2005 that the campus was expanding, Dr. Thompson told a story about a student who said the Greenville campus wasn't really a campus because there was only one building. Now, there will be three permanent buildings in use. So where one man considered just a building, Thompson leaves a college and it will surely thrive for years to come.

However, she is not one to rest on her laurels. She entered the political arena in 2005 and is now a valuable member of the Greenville City Council. If she puts half the energy into that position as she did at LBWCC, there is no telling where this city will go. She is also very active in local civic groups. No one will ever call her lazy.

Congratulations Dr. Thompson on your &#8220retirement” and thank you for a job well done. – Greenville Advocate