Stories Archives

Celebrated emeritus prof enjoys a fine hand

By Melea Reicks Licht

Louis Thompson surveys his cards. There’s been a brief interruption in a bridge game with his former students and colleagues. The retirees have settled back into the game after a power outage in the Thompson home, which sparked a discussion about their early memories of electricity. With the breaker restored, they regain their focus on the game. Underlying the competitive nature of the game are friendships that date back long before Thompson retired from Iowa State University in 1983. 

Let’s lay our cards on the table: Thompson is a legendary figure in Iowa State’s agricultural history.

Thompson joined the agronomy department at Iowa State in 1946 as a teaching assistant and joined the faculty in 1947 as an assistant professor. He earned a master’s and doctorate in soil fertility and became a professor of agronomy and
professor in charge of farm operations in 1950.

He is often remembered for his visits to the homes of undergraduates in the farm operations program. He credits the idea to one of his own teachers. 

“When I was in high school the only person who ever visited my home was the ag teacher. That made such an impression on me that whenever I got a chance I would visit my incoming students at home,” Thompson says.

Thompson was promoted to dean of academic programs for the College of Agriculture in 1958. He served in the position until his retirement 25 years later.

Thompson’s bridge partners include agronomy emeriti professors Ken Larson and Brent Pearce. Howard Johnson, emeritus professor and former chair of the agricultural engineering department rounds out their bimonthly matchup.

Larson traces his career as an agronomist back to the first introductory agronomy course he took from Thompson.

“He was an excellent teacher who inspired and motivated me to pursue my interest in agronomy at the graduate level,” Larson says. “It was a unique privilege to take over as associate dean of academic programs after Dr. Thompson retired. He always inspired me to keep students' best interests in mind.”

In addition to his bridge partners, Thompson taught many other students who became prominent alumni, including John Pesek, a former student of his who attended Texas A&M. Thompson recommended Pesek for the Iowa State agronomy faculty.  

Thompson received numerous awards for excellence in teaching, research and distinguished service. He says his attentive teaching style helped students learn.

“I could tell by watching the students, by seeing the understanding in their eyes,” Thompson says. “If they weren’t listening, they weren’t interested. And they weren’t learning.”  

Undergraduate education was so important to Thompson that he established ISU’s Louis Thompson Distinguished Undergraduate Teaching Award for faculty excellence in undergraduate teaching and advising. 

When Thompson retired in 1983 he began a second career as a research climatologist. He made an exceptional prediction of the drought in 1988 based on his research on the relationship between drought in the Corn Belt and El Niños. The prediction led to scores of invited presentations that kept Thompson busy until just days before his eighty-first birthday when he decided to begin a more traditional retirement.

Today, at 93, Thompson is an active philanthropist, stays current on the latest climatology news and enjoys visiting with his friends and colleagues.  Especially over a good game of bridge. 

Awards and scholarships named for Louis Thompson
Louis Thompson Distinguished Undergraduate Teaching Award
Louis M. Thompson Endowed Agronomy Undergraduate and Graduate Scholarships
Louis M. Thompson Study Abroad Scholarship