J.O. Thompson: Carpenter

J O Thompson, Sr
February 1962

My father was a carpenter (class A-1, of which he was very proud). He taught all of his 3 living sons the trade on the job. He usually walked to work unless the job was too far away. Then someone he worked with would pick him up and take him for which he paid.

Mama always packed him a lunch as there was no such thing back then as “going out to lunch.” He carried a lard bucket in which she would put a couple of biscuits with fried fatback or ham or whatever we had, a mason jar full of beans, maybe a piece of leftover cornbread from supper and that was it.

He left before sunup and got back about dark in the winter. In the summer they went in early and got off earlier in the afternoon.

I don’t know the companies he worked for over the years, but the reason we came to SC was following the building trade.

I don’t know from whom he learned the carpenter trade, but he was the best. His son, John Lloyd Thompson, later became the owner of his own company, John L. Thompson Construction. His grandson, Wayne Thompson, son of James O. Thompson Jr. is now part owner of Thompson-White Construction Co.* which was originally Patriot Construction, owned solely by Doug White, my son-in-law. (Wayne was trained on-the-job by his dad J.O. Jr. who was trained by J.O. Sr.; all of J.O. Jr’s sons who lived around him learned the carpenter trade.

Foy Thompson, the youngest son who went to Auburn Univ. and became a coach and later a principal, knew enough about carpentry to build his first home in Camden and help on his 2nd home. So J.O. Thompson Sr. was a good teacher of his trade.

-Izzy Thompson Connell, J.O's 8th child. Pgs. 205-206 of personal history. Written circa 1996

(reverse side)
J.O. Thompson Sr
daddy
looking a lot like Foy does now @ 75 w/out the big glasses

*Editor's note: Wayne Thompson's business partner Doug White said that Wayne was a talented carpenter, more talented than himself.