Hall of Fame
Richard Thompson is a native of Warren County, North Carolina and came to Chowan in 1960 where he was a one year member of Chowan College football team under head coach Jim Garrison. Under Garrison, Richard was a very successful offensive lineman. He accelerated in the classroom as well as the football field, earning his Associate’s Degree in 1961 and moving on to Elon University in the fall of 1961.
At Elon, he was a three year member of the football team and played both linebacker and center. In 1964, Richard graduated with a BA from Elon and was hired by Concord High School as a history teacher and assistant football coach. All total, Richard spent nine years at Concord and moved up to serve as the Assistant Principal and Head Football Coach in his last four years at Concord High.
Richard is a prime example of how Chowan can give roots to young adults that help prepare them for both the professional and personal worlds in which they live. After earning his Master’s Degree from UNC-Charlotte and his PH.D from UNC-Greensboro, Richard excelled in the education world, earning several top ranking education positions in both North Carolina and Mississippi.
In 1978, he was hired as the principal at Central Carrabus High School in North Carolina. After two years at CCHS, he moved on to serve as the superintendent of the Lexington City Schools District in Lexington, North Carolina. He had seven successful years in that position before moving to Tupelo, Mississippi.
In Tupelo, he served as the Superintendent of the City Schools for three years and in 1990 was hired as the State Superintendent of Education for the entire state of Mississippi. Richard then moved into the college ranks where he served as the Associate VP for academic affairs from 1994-95 at UNC-Chapel Hill. After his stint with Chapel Hill, Richard moved back to Mississippi to take the State Superintendent job back.
In 2002, Richard and his wife moved back to their home state of North Carolina where he became employed by UNC-Chapel Hill as a Vice President for School Programs.
Richard and his wife, Dr. Peggy Hawkins Thompson, have two children, Tara Thompson, of Wilmington, and Dr. Whitney Thompson Webb, of Oxford, Mississippi. Richard and Peggy reside in Chapel Hill.
