OXFORD, Ohio -- At the Miami University Paper Science & Engineering Foundation Annual Meeting, among other actions taken by the Board of Trustees, Jim Thompson was appointed Honorary Board Member, recognizing his service to the Foundation starting in 1992. Over the years, Thompson has served on the Academic Committee, Chair of the Audit Committee (a position he still holds), Chair of the Endowment Committee and as Secretary and Member of the Executive Committee.
Jim has been a strong supporter of all the pulp and paper schools in the United States but says, "I guess I have just gravitated towards Miami because it is in the region where I grew up."
Thompson further offered, "All the schools have a sense of family about them. I think that is important. At Miami, I have developed a bit of legacy thinking of my own. Back in 1992, Bill Copeland was Executive Director of the Foundation and I have known all of them since then. The recent past Executive Director, Jon Kerr, and I had a working business relationship and the current Executive Director, Dr. Gary Rudemiller, and I have also enjoyed a working relationship outside the school."
At the annual meeting in 2012, Thompson was presented with the "Pioneer Award" which is given "For distinguished service in providing vision and leadership to expand the future of Miami University Paper Science and Engineering."
In recent years, Paperitalo Publications, LLC, of which Thompson is Managing Partner, has endowed a scholarship at Miami. Jim says that now one of the greatest joys of attending the annual meeting is awarding the scholarship to a worthy student.
Editor's Note: Click here for more on the Miami PS&E foundation.
