James J. Thompson

James J. Thompson, October 22, 1940 - August 4, 2014, lived an extraordinary life, and leaves behind family and friends who adore and admire him. Jim grew up in Camp Hill, Pennsylvania, the son of John H. and Dorothy Yaletchko Thompson. After graduating high school in 1958, he moved to New Mexico to attend UNM on a scholarship from the Navy Reserve Officer Training Corps (NROTC). In 1962, he received a B.A. in Chemistry, a field that continued to be one of his foremost academic loves (there were many) throughout his life. At UNM, he fell in love with his future wife, Jeanette Gurulè, of Santa Fe, NM, whom he married in April 1963, and with whom he shared his life for the next fifty-one years. Jim was commissioned as an ensign in the Navy in June 1962 and served his country all over the world, including both the Arctic and Antarctica. He left active duty in 1968 to attend Purdue University, but remained in the U.S. Naval Reserve until 1989, when he retired as a captain. At Purdue, Jim earned an M.A. in 1970 and a Ph.D in 1972, both in the field of Bionucleonics. In 1972, he and his family moved to Albuquerque, which they made their permanent home. Throughout his long career as a Health Physicist—first as Head of Health Protection Operations at Lovelace Inhalation Toxicology Institute until 1994; then as Director of the Dept. of Radiological Health and Radiation Safety (and Associate Professor) at University of Utah from 1994 until 2001; then as a manager at Sandia National Labs, from where he retired in 2011—Jim worked tirelessly to research and implement the highest standards of workplace health and safety. While raising his three sons, Jim went to every possible sports event, science fair, school play and recital. He loved the Boy Scouts and was extremely proud that his three sons each earned the Eagle Scout badge. As an Assistant Scoutmaster with Troop 285, Jim backpacked hundreds of miles in the Pecos Wilderness, and many hundreds more in other parts of New Mexico, Arizona, and Colorado. One of his greatest joys was seeing the career successes of boy scouts in their adult lives. For many years he enjoyed serving as a judge for the NM state science fair. Among his many hobbies, Jim was an avid genealogist, and he meticulously researched his and Jeanette’s ancestors back to the early 1700’s. Jim was preceded in death by his parents and his sister, Stephanie Vodrazka. He is survived by his wife, Jeanette, and their three sons: James Tristan Thompson and his wife, Nellee, and their children, Chelsea, Paige, Alieta, Audrey, and John; Bruce Evan Thompson and his wife, Kelly, and their son, Jonah; Seth John Thompson and his wife, Dora, and their sons, Carson and Holman. He is also survived by his brother, Jack Thompson, and his sister, Elaine DiGregorio. For memorial information, and to send remembrances, please email Bruce Thompson at bruceevan@yahoo.com. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Jim’s memory to the Wounded Warrior Project, at www.woundedwarriorproject.org, or to the Southern Poverty Law Center, at www.splcenter.org. Jim was an honorable, humorous, keenly intelligent, and warmly caring person. He leaves all his family, coworkers and friends with admiration for his many accomplishments, and the joy of remembering his love of life.