Larry Thompson (humorist)
Lawrence "Larry" Thompson | |
|---|---|
The Miami Herald | |
| Known for | Humor column "Life With Larry Thompson," published daily in The Miami Herald for more than two decades. |
| Notable work | Three books published by Wake-Brook House: Life With Caesar, Hogs Under My Bed and Life With Larry Thompson |
| Successor | Dave Barry |
| Spouse | Penny Thompson |
| Awards | Dale Carnegie Alumni Association Good Human Relations Award 1965; Florida Newspaper Hall of Fame |
Lawrence Thompson (1911-1973) was an American humor columnist and newspaper reporter for 28 years with
Early years
Thompson grew up in Stillwater, Oklahoma,[1] where he began a newspaper career that would span almost a half-century.[2] After graduating from Oklahoma A. & M. College (now Oklahoma State University),[3] he worked on newspapers throughout the United States as a reporter, including the New York Herald Tribune.[4] In his early days, he was known as "Scoop" Thompson.[5] He came to work for The Miami Herald in 1945 as a general assignment reporter.[6]
Within a few years, Thompson was writing a daily humor column, called "Life With Larry Thompson," which ran in the Comics Section of The Miami Herald for more than two decades. Following his death, the Associated Press described Thompson's column as "down-home humor" that was "one of the first items read over morning coffee by hundreds of thousands of Herald subscribers." [7]
In 1953 Thompson married aviator
In 1965 the Dale Carnegie Alumni Association awarded Thompson the Good Human Relations Award.[10]
Author
Thompson wrote three books.[11] The first was about the family's Siamese cat, "Life With Caesar."[12][13][14][15] The second book was "Hogs Under My Bed" [16] which chronicled the family’s camping trip one summer through Florida, including one night when wild pigs slept under the Thompson’s tent trailer during a rain storm, hence the title.[17] The third book, "Life With Larry Thompson," [18] a collection of Thompson’s most popular columns, was published posthumously in 1975.[19]
Thompson's columns, especially tales of his family's cross-country camping trips each summer, were often reprinted in newspapers throughout America
Death and legacy
On February 18, 1973 at the age of 61, Thompson died [23] of emphysema. Thompson’s wife, Penny, died at 57 from acute leukemia in 1975.[24] The Metro Dade County Commission voted to name a 270-acre park/campground in their honor --- the Larry and Penny Thompson Memorial Park[25] located in Miami next to Zoo Miami. In 2012, son Carl Thompson donated Larry Thompson's typewriter used to write his columns along with photographs and other family memorabilia to the campground at the 35th anniversary of the park's dedication.[26] These are on permanent display in the campground office.[27] In 2015, Thompson was inducted into the Florida Newspaper Hall of Fame.[28]
References
- ^ Manhattan Mercury, July 12, 1964, Pg. 6
- ^ The Miami Herald, February 19, 1973, Pg. 1
- ^ Oklahoma State Alumnus Magazine, September 1961
- ^ Editor & Publisher Magazine, June 10, 1961
- ^ Stillwater (Oklahoma) News-Press, June 4, 1961, Pg. 7
- ^ The Miami Herald, Pg. 1, February 19, 1973
- ^ Oxnard (California)Press Courier, Associated Press, February 19, 1973, Pg. 3
- ^ The Miami Herald, "What Makes Thompson Tick?" May 5, 1957, Pg. 10-A
- ^ Life Magazine, "Trying Time at Twins' Treat" April 18, 1955
- ^ Stillwater (Oklahoma) News-Press, February 19, 1973
- ^ Publisher: Wake-Brook House, Sanbornville, New Hampshire, later moved to Coral Gables, Florida.
- ^ Los Angeles Examiner, June 18, 1961
- ^ Library of Congress Catalog Card # 61-14143
- ^ New York Herald Tribune, June 14, 1961, By Hy Gardner
- ^ New York Times, June 1, 1961, "Books Today"
- ^ Library of Congress Catalog # 63-15337
- ^ Editor & Publisher Magazine, January 11, 1964, "Books in Review"
- ^ ISBN O-87482-047-2
- ^ Mt. Vernon Register-News, August 7, 1976, Pg. 8-A
- ^ Charleston (West Virginia) Daily Mail, December 7, 1971, Pg. 10
- ^ The North Adams (Massachusetts) Transcript, August 26, 1964, Pg. 20
- ^ Congressional Record, February 23, 1966, Quoted by U.S. Rep. Claude Pepper
- ^ Kansas City Star, February 19, 1973
- ^ The Miami Herald, "Columnist's 'Good Wife' Penny Thompson, Is Dead" September 23, 1975, Pg. 1 Local News
- ^ "Larry and Penny Thompson Memorial Park and Campground - Miami-Dade County".
- ^ "Son marks 35th anniversary for Larry and Penny Thompson Park". 15 December 2012.
- ^ "Miami-Dade County - Parks, Recreation and Open Spaces - News Release".
- ^ Humor Columnist, Larry Thompson, Inducted into Florida Newspaper Hall of Fame at Editor and Publisher; published July 24, 2015; retrieved August 11, 2015