Barry Baird Thompson (May 12, 1936 – March 1, 2014) was an American academic and administrator who served as the chancellor for the Texas A&M University System from 1994 to 1999. Prior to being named

chancellor Chancellor ( la, cancellarius) is a title of various official positions in the governments of many nations. The original chancellors were the of Roman courts of justice—ushers, who sat at the or lattice work screens of a basilica or law cou ...

, he served as president of Tarleton State University and West Texas A&M University. He was named the chancellor

emeritus ''Emeritus'' (; female: ''emerita'') is an adjective used to designate a retired chair, professor, pastor, bishop, pope, director, president, prime minister, rabbi, emperor, or other person who has been "permitted to retain as an honorary title ...

upon his retirement in 1999.

Education and career

Thompson earned an

associate degree An associate degree is an undergraduate degree awarded after a course of post-secondary study lasting two to three years. It is a level of qualification above a high school diploma, GED, or matriculation, and below a bachelor's degree. The fi ...

from

Tarleton State Tarleton State University is a public university with its main campus in Stephenville, Texas. It is a founding member of the Texas A&M University System and enrolled over 14,000 students in the fall of 2020. History John Tarleton Agricultural ...

and a bachelor's degree in Biology and secondary education from Texas Tech University in

Lubbock, Texas Lubbock ( ) is the 10th-most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and the seat of government of Lubbock County. With a population of 260,993 in 2021, the city is also the 85th-most populous in the United States. The city is in the northw ...

. Thompson earned a master's degree in administration from East Texas State University (now Texas A&M University-Commerce). Following a stint in public schools as a teacher and administrator, he earned a doctorate from Texas A&M University while serving as a professor at Pan American University in

Edinburg, Texas Edinburg ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Hidalgo County, Texas, United States. Its population was 74,569 as of the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census, and in 2019, its estimated population was 101,170, making it the second-largest city ...

. Thompson was a professor and department head at East Texas State University before being named the vice president for academic affairs. He joined Tarleton in a newly created position of executive vice president under presiden
W.O. Trogdon
Upon Trogdon's retirement in 1982, Thompson was named 13th president of Tarleton and held the position until 1990. During his time as president, the university's enrollment and fundraising increased substantially. Thompson resigned as the Tarleton president at the request of leaders of the Texas A&M University System to become president of the West Texas State University as it became a member of the Texas A&M University System on September 1, 1990. Thompson led the university during a time of transition from an independent institution to a member of the statewide system. In 1993, the name of the university was changed to West Texas A&M University to reflect this change in status. In 1994, Thompson left West Texas to become chancellor of the system. He served as chancellor until his retirement in 1999, and was succeeded by

Howard D. Graves Howard Dwayne Graves (August 15, 1939 – September 13, 2003) was a United States Army officer who served as the superintendent of the U.S. Military Academy from 1991 to 1996, and as the chancellor of the Texas A&M University System from 19 ...

. In total, he worked in Texas public education for 44 years.

Honors and awards

Thompson was the recipient of several honors: * Texas Science Teacher of the Year in 1960 * Golden Deeds in Education Award in 1996 * Mirabeau Lamar Medal for outstanding leadership in higher education in 1999 * Boy Scouts of America Silver Beaver Award * Tarleton State University distinguished alumni award in 1996 * Texas A&M University-Commerce distinguished alumni award The Barry B. Thompson Student Center on the campus of Tarleton State University is named after Thompson.

Personal life

Thompson was born on May 12, 1936, in Pecos, Texas. He married his high school sweetheart Sandra Sue Davison in 1955 and had four children: Karol, Kim, Scott, and Bart.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Thompson, Barry B. Texas A&M University faculty Chancellors of Texas A&M University System 1936 births 2014 deaths