Dudley Thompson

West Point, 1951

Be Thou At Peace

Posted by John R. Hook on September 13, 2018:

Dud Thompson: Wonderful Memories Several days ago, I received sad news of the death of my friend Dud Thomson. Sad as it was, it brought to mind many great memories of a truly cherished friend. Here I share a few that I passed to his wife Linda, his children and their families. Dud and I were classmates at West Point in the Class of 1951. We did not know one another as cadets but were stationed together repeatedly after graduation and became great friends. We first were assigned to the Artillery School at Ft. Sill, Oklahoma to study gunnery --- then to a pack artillery battalion at Ft. Carson, Colorado where we rode horses every day and practiced our gunnery. I learned most of mine from Dud who had mastered it at Ft. Sill and was always ready to share his knowledge with me. Many a cold and snowy night in Colorado we shared a two-man tent, much conversation and a little wine late into the night. We then rose early to ready our howitzers for a day of gunnery practice. After several months at Ft. Carson we both received orders to artillery units in Germany and travelled to Europe on the same troop ship. Our units in Germany were far apart but we still managed occasions to connect. And --- as luck would have it, we both received orders at the same time to return to the states, attend Purdue University to study electrical engineering and nuclear physics, and return to West Point to teach those subjects. Dud was a brilliant student and teacher and was always generous in helping me, his less talented friend. At West Point our friendship grew and our wives shared a deep friendship as well --- living in a small town south of West Point in small houses by the Hudson River and socializing frequently. The life was great --- as were the friendships. After the West Point assignment Dud decided to leave the Army to pursue a technical career in both government and private industry. Since I stayed in the Army, our contacts were more limited --- to occasional visits to the Thompson home on Long Island when we visited my wife�s family in New York. Our contact over the years was rare due to my frequent moves in the Army, but my memories and affection for Dud never faded. I remember him as a technically brilliant professional who was so generous in helping me in the early days when I clearly needed assistance. And, though we pursued very different career paths and seldom saw one another, amazingly, I could always quickly connect with him whenever we had the good fortune to meet up in later years, which was seldom, but always a true joy. So --- goodbye my friend --- and Godspeed. I am sure Heaven is the richer for your arrival. Your friend forever, John R. Hook

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