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William Lay Thompson
Born
William Lay Thompson

(1930-02-16)February 16, 1930
Austin, Texas, United States
DiedNovember 27, 2016(2016-11-27) (aged 86)
Livonia, Michigan, United States
NationalityAmerican
Alma materUniversity of Texas at Austin
University of California at Berkeley
Scientific career
FieldsBiology
InstitutionsWayne State University

William Lay Thompson was an American ornithologist, naturalist and educator. He was Professor Emeritus of Biological Sciences at Wayne State University,[1] an expert on bird vocalizations, past President of the Michigan Audubon Society, and past Editor of the Jack Pine Warbler.

Early life and education

William Lay Thompson was born on February 16, 1930, in Austin, Texas. He was the son of Dora (Lay) Thompson of Lockhart, Texas and William Henry Thompson of Brownwood, Texas. He attended the Austin public schools. After graduating from Austin High School he went to the University of Texas in Austin where he received his bachelor's degree with a major in zoology and a minor in botany. He continued at the University of Texas in Austin for a master's degree in zoology. This was followed by a Doctorate in zoology at the University of California in Berkeley.

Career

From 1955 to 1957, Thompson served in the United States Army Chemical Corps, stationed in Washington D.C.

In 1959, Thompson was engaged to teach at Wayne State University, in Detroit, Michigan, in the Department of Biology. He taught in the University's Adult Education Program and at the Detroit Zoo. He was elected as a Member of AOU (The American Ornithologists' Union)[2] and AAAS (American Association for the Advancement of Science) in which he was elected a Fellow. He retired from Wayne State in 1993 as Professor Emeritus.

Thompson established Museum of Natural History in Biology Department at Wayne State University circa 1972-1976 was used by area schools in "Tandem Teaching" program.

Thompson was a member of the Detroit Audubon Society, in which he served a term as vice president and also the Michigan Audubon Society, in which he served as president for several years.

Personal life

In 1958 Thompson married Retta Catherine Maninger in Berkeley, California. They had three children.

Death

Thompson died on November 27, 2016, in Livonia, Michigan.

Publications

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Notes

  1. ^ "Wayne State University 2015-17 Undergraduate Bulletin - Biological Sciences". Wayne State University Bulletins. Wayne State University. Archived from the original on 2016-08-07.
  2. ^ "Elective Members of the American Ornithological Society" (PDF). americanornithology.org. American Ornithologists' Union. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2018-01-18.
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