Born in Greenville, South Carolina, in 1936,[1] Thompson graduated from Druid Hills High School in Atlanta in 1954.

[2] Mr. Thompson served as a lieutenant in the U.S. Navy from 1958 to 1960 and was stationed at Green Cove Springs, Florida, as an administrative officer in the Atlantic Fleet.

[2] Mr. Thompson began his professional career in 1960 as a development engineer with Pratt and Whitney Aircraft in West Palm Beach, Florida.

[2] In September 1974, he was named manager of the Main Engine Projects Office at the Marshall Space Flight Center.

In that position, he was responsible for planning and executing the engineering overview, analysis, evaluation and support for all Marshall Center projects that were in the hardware development stage.

In that capacity, he headed the day-to-day operations of the 51-L Data and Design Analysis Task Force, which collected and analyzed accident-related information in support of the Presidential Commission on the Space Shuttle Challenger Accident.