Julius Thompson
*Julius Thompson was born on this date in 1946. He was a Black educator, poet, administrator, and activist.
Born in Vicksburg, Mississippi, Julius E. Thompson attended elementary and high school in Natchez, Mississippi, and received his BA in history from Alcorn State University (1969). He subsequently earned his MA (1971) and PhD (1973) in American history at Princeton University, where his adviser was James M. McPherson.
During his career, Thompson taught at a variety of institutions including Jackson State University (1973–80), Florida Memorial College (1981–83), the State University of New York at Albany (1983–88), the University of Rochester (1988–89), Southern Illinois University at Carbondale (1989–96), and the University of Missouri at Columbia (1996–2007). In addition, he served as a program officer for the Lilly Foundation, coordinating their grants program for historically Black institutions (1980–81), and received a Fullbright Program Award to conduct research and lecture at the University of Zimbabwe (fall 1987).
Along with being a respected historian, Julius E. Thompson was also a respected poet. His published poetry included three books: Hopes Tied Up In Promises (1970), Blues Said: Walk On (1977), and Mississippi Witness: Poems (2001). Moreover, he edited The Anthology of Black Mississippi Poets (1988). Julius Thompson died of complications after a severe head trauma on October 26, 2007.
