Overview
Papers of minister and director of graduate studies at Florida Southern College Donald Alexander Thompson (1906-1985) including subject files relating his life and work and sermons of his father George Thompson.
Dates
- Creation: 1911-1985.
Access
There are no restrictions on access to this collection.
Extent
12 boxesThe bulk of this collection is made up of an alphabetical listing of subjects relating to the life and work of Thompson. There are also two boxes containing the sermons of George Thompson, father of Donald Thompson. The sermons date from 1911 to 1942. Finally, the collection contains cards sent to Thompson after his shooting in 1965; cards sent to his wife, Leila Thompson, after his death in 1985; and some artifacts.
Biographical / Historical
Donald Alexander Thompson (1906-1985) graduated from Tufts University in 1926 and Meadville Theological School in 1951. He was ordained to the Unitarian ministry in 1951 and the Universalist ministry in 1953. He worked in Washington, D.C., for over 10 years in the Works Progress Administration, the Library of Congress, and the Office of the Army Chief of Chaplains. After World War II, he was the director of graduate studies at Florida Southern College in Lakeland, Florida, and he served numerous parishes throughout the Midwest and South. While serving the First Parish of Jackson, Mississippi, he was shot and seriously injured at his home in 1965; the shooting was attributed to his civil rights work.
Arrangement
Organized into the following series:
- Series I. Subject files
- Series II. Writings
- Series III. Cards and artifacts
Acquisition Information
Gift of Leila Thompson.
- Title
- Thompson, Donald Alexander. Papers, 1911-1985: A Finding Aid.
- Author
- Andover-Harvard Theological Library
- Language of description
- und
- EAD ID
- div00591
Repository Details
Part of the Harvard Divinity School Library, Harvard University Repository
Special Collections at Harvard Divinity School Library preserves and makes accessible primary source materials documenting the history of religion and theology, with particular historical emphasis on American liberal religious traditions. Though the historical strengths of the collections have been in the field of Christianity, other religious traditions are increasingly reflected, in step with Harvard Divinity School's evolving focus on global religious studies. Known as Andover-Harvard Theological Library since 1911, it was renamed the Harvard Divinity School Library in 2021.
45 Francis Avenue
Cambridge MA 02138-1911 USA
(617) 496-2485
ask@hds.harvard.libanswers.com