As you know, I have a passion for history—and for ensuring that history becomes a part of our present life through sharing interesting people and places that shaped Thompson.

This summer, history and the present time collided, literally, when a very large dead ash tree fell into the graveyard in Thompson where its founder—the Honorable William A. Thompson—is buried. The tree actually missed Judge Thompson’s tombstone, but it did knock a few headstones down and left the graveyard in disarray.

Thanks to a concerned citizen who saw the damage, I was made aware of the graveyard’s condition. I immediately alerted the Town of Thompson Supervisor Bill Rieber as well as Parks & Recreation Superintendent Glenn Somers and his team. Together, Glenn and I, plus Brad Bastone, went directly to the gravesite to inspect the damage. (Of note, Glenn and Brad were both my former students when I taught at Monticello High School.)

Glenn and his team were already managing the town’s abandoned gravesites, with regular maintenance occurring by three court-ordered timeframes: by Memorial Day, July 4 and Labor Day. The Parks & Recreation crew consistently mows, removes weeds and tree branches, and ensures the graveyards are safe and maintained.

When the ash tree fell, the crew was not scheduled to be at the graveyard any time soon, yet the parks and recreation team moved its schedule around and spent an entire day cleaning up the graveyard where Judge Thompson is buried.

The situation was also unique in that a special machine was needed to lift and cut the large ash tree that had fallen in the graveyard. To get the machine into the graveyard, it required the parks and recreation team to remove a fencepost and access private property (which the town received permission to do).

Ultimately, the end result was a collaborative effort that combined the skills and commitment of the public—and those of the Town of Thompson. Together, we are protecting the legacy of Judge Thompson and our collective history.

If you’d like to learn more about Judge Thompson, an excellent overview from writer John Conway can be found at www.recordonline.com/story/news/2003/04/25/thompson-s-founder-man-distinction/51153952007.

Al Dumas is the Town Historian for the Town of Thompson.