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Richard Thompson papers

Notifications

Held at: Haverford College Quaker & Special Collections [Contact Us]370 Lancaster Ave, Haverford, PA 19041

This is a finding aid. It is a description of archival material held at the Haverford College Quaker & Special Collections. Unless otherwise noted, the materials described below are physically available in their reading room, and not digitally available through the web.

Overview and metadata sections

Call Number:
MC.1291
Repository:
Haverford College Quaker & Special Collections
Extent:
5.1 linear ft. (14 boxes)
Language:
English
Preferred Citation:
Richard Thompson papers (HC.MC.1291), Quaker & Special Collections, Haverford College, Haverford, PA.
Date:
1949-2013 (inclusive)
Abstract:
This collection contains the papers of Richard Warren Thompson (1949-1973), a Quaker from Kansas City, Missouri, who attended Westtown Boarding School and served with the American Friends Service Committee in Vietnam in 1972 and 1973. His papers illustrate his vibrant childhood and college years, Thompson being an outspoken advocate for peace and helping others. He was a Conscientious Objector and resisted the draft in Vietnam, and instead chose to live in Vietnam on his own terms, as a civilian generalist working in the Quang Ngai Rehabilitation Center. He died in November of 1973 in a tragic plane crash in Vietnam. This collection encompasses materials created by Thompson during his life, as well as correspondence and other materials created in his memory.

Richard Warren Thompson (1949-1973) was born on April 19, 1949 in Glens Falls, New York to parents Lenoard Clark Thompson and Margery Scull Taylor. He spent his childhood in Kansas City, Missouri, and then attended high school at the Westtown School in West Chester, Pennsylvania for three years, graduating in 1967. He was an Eagle Scout and member of the Tribe of Mic-O-Say. He was a member of Cheltenham Monthly Meeting. He graduated from Iowa State University of Science and Technology in 1971 with a bachelor's in anthropology and geology. While at Iowa State University, he served as a student clerk of the Friends Meeting in Ames, Iowa (1969-1971) and was a member of the Farm House Fraternity and Cardinal Key Honor Society. In 1971, he also chaired the Institute on National Affairs Symposium entitled "Indians: First Americans Last." After graduating from Iowa State University, he conducted a research assistantship in Native American affairs with Friends Committee on National Legistlation in Washington, DC. In August 1972, he left for Vietnam, planning to conduct a two-year assignment as a generalist on the team at American Friends Service Committee's Quang Ngai Rebabilitation Center. He had taken two severely handicapped children to Saigon and was returning to Quang Ngai when his plane crashed and he was killed on November 17, 1973.

This collection contains a significant amount of correspondence between Thompson and his family and friends during his time at boarding schools, his trips after graduating, and his short time in Vietnam. There is also a large number of letters to Thompson's family after his death in 1973. There are some materials from his childhood and schooling, but the bulk of the material in this collection is correspondence and materials relating to his work at the Quang Ngai Rebabilitation Center in Vietnam. There are also materials relating to his decision to be a Conscientous Objector during the Vietnam War, due to his Quaker faith and pacifism.

This collection is arranged into the following four series: Correspondence, Education, Vietnam, and Photographs. Within these series, the materials are arranged chronologically. The collection contains materials from his childhood, and his time in high school, college, and working with the American Friends Service Committee in Vietnam.

Processed by Madison Arnold-Scerbo; completed June, 2018.

Subject
Place

Publisher
Haverford College Quaker & Special Collections
Finding Aid Author
Madison Arnold-Scerbo
Finding Aid Date
June, 2018
Access Restrictions

The collection is open for research use.

Use Restrictions

Standard Federal Copyright Laws Apply (U.S. Title 17).

Collection Inventory

Scope and Contents

The corrspondence is arranged chronologically by year. The content and recepients of the corrsepondence depends on the phase of Thomspon's life. He wrote to his parents, friends, and other family members during his boarding school years in Westtown School, during his bicyling trip, and during his time in Vietnam. This series contains both letters written by and to Thompson.

Archival Resource Key. Correspondence on Thompson's Birth, 1949.
Box 1
Archival Resource Key. Correspondence, 1956-1971.
Box 1
Archival Resource Key. Correspondence, 1956-1971.
Box 1
Archival Resource Key. Correspondence, 1960-1971.
Box 1
Archival Resource Key. Correspondence, 1963-1968.
Box 1
Archival Resource Key. Correspondence, 1965-1966.
Box 1
Archival Resource Key. Correspondence, 1966-1972.
Box 1
Archival Resource Key. Correspondence, 1967.
Box 2
Archival Resource Key. Correspondence, 1967.
Box 2
Archival Resource Key. Correspondence, 1968.
Box 2
Archival Resource Key. Correspondence, 1968.
Box 2
Archival Resource Key. Correspondence, 1969.
Box 2
Archival Resource Key. Correspondence, 1969.
Box 3
Archival Resource Key. Correspondence, 1969.
Box 3
Archival Resource Key. Correspondence, 1970s.
Box 3
Archival Resource Key. Correspondence, 1970s.
Box 3
Archival Resource Key. Correspondence, 1970s.
Box 4
Archival Resource Key. Correspondence, 1970s.
Box 4
Archival Resource Key. Correspondence, 1971.
Box 4
Archival Resource Key. Correspondence, 1971.
Box 4
Archival Resource Key. Correspondence, 1971-1972.
Box 5
Archival Resource Key. Correspondence, 1972.
Box 5
Archival Resource Key. Correspondence, 1972.
Box 5
Archival Resource Key. Correspondence, 1972.
Box 5
Archival Resource Key. Correspondence, 1972-1973.
Box 5
Archival Resource Key. Transcriptions of Correspondence (flashdrive), 2013.
Box 5
Scope and Contents

A blue sandisk flashdrive with a label reading "Ms. Terrie Cornell 2067 Stoney Hill Ct. Fort Collins, CO 80525". It was in an envelope labled "Transcriptions of Rick Thompson's Letters 12.02.2013 awo"

Archival Resource Key. Birth and School Years, 1959-1963.
Box 6
Scope and Contents

Contains report cards, bird contest materials, bugle course, and other childhood documents.

Archival Resource Key. Westtown School Materials, 1964-1967.
Box 6
Scope and Contents

Contains letters from Westtown School, particularly about enrollment and finances, and report cards for Thompson.

Archival Resource Key. Boy Scout materials, 1965-1988.
Box 6
Scope and Contents

Contains materials pertaining to Philmont Scout Ranch in New Mexico, where Thompson camped in 1965. There is a certificate for Thomspon, a newspaper article, a pamphlet, and Thomson's medical record before going to camp. Also contains documents about an Eagle Scout Board being decidated to Thomspon's parents in 1988.

Archival Resource Key. Graduation and Road Trip, 1966-1969.
Box 6
Scope and Contents

Correspondence from Thompson to his parents, maps of his journey from Kansas City to Los Angelos by bicycle, journals, and log books

Archival Resource Key. Iowa State University materials, 1969-1971.
Box 6
Scope and Contents

Contains Thomposon's diploma from 1971, a pamphlet from his commencement, and an excerpt from a yearbook.

Archival Resource Key. Friends Committee on National Legislation, 1971-1972.
Box 6
Scope and Contents

Contains a flier for conference and workshop and report on Indian Legislation.

Archival Resource Key. Pamphlets, 1960-1971.
Box 6
Scope and Contents

2 folders. Contains pamphlets mostly related to Quaker or peace oriented organizations.

Archival Resource Key. English-Vietnamese pocket dictionaries, 1963-1965.
Box 7
Scope and Contents

Contains two small dictionaries that belonged to Thompson, one with a bit of writing in Vietnamese in the front.

Archival Resource Key. Selective Service /Conscientious Objector Materials, 1967-1971.
Box 7
Scope and Contents

Contains Thompson's official paperwork for application for conscientious objector, which includes many details about his life, including his activities, previous addresses, parents, connections to Quakerism, and his responses to questions pertaining to his religious belief and use of force. Also includes correspondence related to Thompson's status as a conscientious objector.

Archival Resource Key. Official Documents and Memorabilia, 1969-1972.
Box 7
Scope and Contents

Contains identification cards, check registers, a small journal, documentation from Vietnam, power of attorney form for Thompson, and stamps and post cards from Vietnam.

Archival Resource Key. Photocopy of Journals, 1970.
Box 7
Scope and Contents

Contains a photocopy of Thompson's journal from his bicycle trip in the Western United States in 1970, including stops in Kansas, Colorado, Four Corners, and the Grand Canyon.

Archival Resource Key. Diary, 1971-1972.
Box 7
Scope and Contents

This diary spans from December 1971 to October 1972. Thompson recounts his decision to go to Vietnam with AFSC, his preparation for his trip abroad to Vietnam, his arrival in August 1972, and the first few months of his stay in Vietnam. He gives immense detail about his personal actions and thoughts, as well as bigger picture occurances in Vietnam and the United States. There is both the original diary and a photocopy with annotations.

Archival Resource Key. Quaker Relief in Vietnam, 1971-1973.
Box 7
Scope and Contents

Contains official reports, correspondence from Thompson, job descriptions of the roles in AFSC in Quang Ngai, and Thompson's personnel record containing his reasons for serving with ASFC, his values, and his experience and connection to Quakerism and relief efforts

Archival Resource Key. Vietnam Draft, 1971-1973.
Box 7
Scope and Contents

Contains letters to Thompson and his parents regarding the Vietnam draft and Thompson abandoning his registration card

Archival Resource Key. Newspaper clippings, 1972-1973.
Box 7
Scope and Contents

Contains articles from newspapers related to the Vietnam war and relief efforts.

Archival Resource Key. Notebook from time in Japan, 1972.
Box 8
Scope and Contents

Contains notes about preparation for Thompson's trip to Japan and diary entries about getting to Japan and the first days of his stay there. Includes the original diary and a photocopy.

Archival Resource Key. The New Yorker magazine, 1972-1973.
Box 8
Scope and Contents

Contains two issues of the New Yorker Magazine: May 13, 1972 and June 2, 1973. These issues include articles called "Letters from Vietnam" and "Letters from Indo-China."

Archival Resource Key. Booklets about Vietnam, 1970s.
Box 8
Scope and Contents

Contains two booklets, called "Restoring Peace in Viet Nam" the June Communiques with a commentary by Dr. Henry A. Kissinger and "The Arts of Champa."

Archival Resource Key. Business Cards, Patches, and Map of Saigon, 1972.
Box 8
Scope and Contents

Contains Thomspon's AFSC business card and patches and a map of Saigon, Vietnam.

Archival Resource Key. Correspondence on Condolences, 1972-1973.
Box 8 Box 9 Box 10
Scope and Contents

8 folders. Correspondence written to his family about the death of RIchard Thomspon in 1973.

Archival Resource Key. Correspondence on Condolences, Photocopies, 1973.
Box 10
Scope and Contents

Photocopies of condolences correspondence that contain annotations and notes written on them.

Archival Resource Key. Correspondence on Condolences Scrapbook, 1973.
Box 10
Scope and Contents

A scrapbook of selected documents relating to the death of Thompson.

Archival Resource Key. Correspondence on Condolences, 1973-1974.
Box 10
Scope and Contents

Correspondence written to his family about the death of RIchard Thomspon in 1973.

Archival Resource Key. Testimonies to Rick Thompson, 1972-1975.
Box 10
Scope and Contents

Correspondence and notices pertaining to Thompson's death

Archival Resource Key. Memorial Materials, 1973-1974.
Box 11
Scope and Contents

Correspondence and other materials relating to Thompson's death and memorial service.

Archival Resource Key. Iowa State University Richard Thompson Memorial Fund, 1990-2012.
Box 11
Scope and Contents

Contains corrspondence pertaining to gifts to the memorial fund from the 1990s, as well as correspondence and fliers relating to one of the events funded by the memorial fund in 2012, a lecture called "Thinking Indian: The Urgency of Native Stories in the New Century."

Archival Resource Key. Memorial Scrapbook, 1973.
Box 13
Scope and Contents

A scrapbook of selected documents relating to the memory of Thompson.

Archival Resource Key. Childhood photographs, undated.
Box 11
Scope and Contents

Contains photographs from Thompson an infant, in elementary school, and in high school. There is also one family Christmas card from the Thompson family

Archival Resource Key. Photographs from High School, 1965-1967.
Box 11
Scope and Contents

Contains portraits and candid photographs from high school, including track and alumni day. Also includes a group photograph from Philmont Scout Ranch in New Mexico in 1965.

Archival Resource Key. Maps and Photographs, 1971-1972.
Box 11
Scope and Contents

Photos that were in sleeves that were removed. Titled "Rick Thompson's Favorite Photos. He probably took these with him to Vietnam in 1972. Identified as much as possible by his sister, Terrie Thompson Cornell. Photos from Kansas City, Iowa State, his bicycle trip from KC to LA, Minnesota cabin, working at FCNL in Washington, DC and various family members." Also includes two maps of Vietnam.

Archival Resource Key. Photographs from Vietnam, 1973.
Box 11
Scope and Contents

Primarily photographs and negatives taken during Thompson's time in Vietnam, with some photographs that he took with him to Vietnam.

Archival Resource Key. Vietnam slides, 1972-1973.
Box 11
Scope and Contents

4 folders. These slides were processed in 1973, but could have been taken in 1972 or 1973.

Archival Resource Key. Vietnam-Saigon slides, 1973.
Box 11
Scope and Contents

These slides were processed in 1973, but could have been taken in 1972 or 1973.

Archival Resource Key. Vietnam-My Lai slides, 1973.
Box 12
Scope and Contents

These slides were processed in 1973, but could have been taken in 1972 or 1973.

Archival Resource Key. Vietnam-Dalat and Saigon slides, 1973.
Box 12
Scope and Contents

These slides were processed in 1973, but could have been taken in 1972 or 1973.

Archival Resource Key. Nara, Japan and Moduc/Quang Ngai, Vietnam slides, 1973.
Box 12
Scope and Contents

These slides were processed in 1973, but could have been taken in 1972 or 1973.

Archival Resource Key. Japan Slides, 1973.
Box 12
Scope and Contents

2 folders. These slides were processed in 1973, but could have been taken in 1972 or 1973.

Archival Resource Key. Scrapbook of plane crash photographs, 1973.
Box 12
Scope and Contents

The first page of the scrapbook reads, "A DC 3 Air Viet-nam crashed on November, 17, 1973, 1330 Hrs at Chu-Lai BS 457.000. Sincrely share the condolences to the Richard W. Thompson's Family. Brigadier General Tran-Van-Nhut 2nd Division Commander and all of his Staff"

Archival Resource Key. Hiroshima poster, undated.
Box 13
Scope and Contents

Anniversity of the bombing of Hiroshima

Archival Resource Key. Signatures from Thompson's memorial in Vietnam, 1973.
Box 13
Scope and Contents

"These Friends gathered together in sorrow and in love to commemorate the death of Richard Warren Thompson, November 24, Quang Ngai, Vietnam"

Archival Resource Key. Gamma Sigma print, 1960.
Box 13
Scope and Contents

Print of a painting

Archival Resource Key. Folk Concert Political Fundraiser poster, undated.
Box 13
Scope and Contents

Peter Yarrow to support John Tapscott for Governor of Iowa

Archival Resource Key. Make Your Own Peace poster, undated.
Box 13
Scope and Contents

AFSC Poster about Vietnam

Archival Resource Key. Pagoda poster, undated.
Box 13
Scope and Contents

Image of a building on fire with Chinese characters

Print, Suggest