Richard Dowling Thomson ’38

Dick died Nov. 1, 2001, at his home in Haverford, Pa. He attended Penn Charter School and Lawrenceville. At Princeton, Dick won numerals in freshman track and was a member of the Glee Club and Cannon Club. He majored in geology, but left after junior year to attend business school. During WWII, Dick served in France as a lieutenant commander in the Coast Guard.

Postwar, Dick lived in the Philadelphia suburbs and served as commissioner of Lower Marion Township from 1957-65. In 1967 he was appointed to the Pennsylvania Governor's advisory committee on library development, eventually becoming its chairman. A noted authority on roses, Dick wrote four books on the subject, the best known being Old Roses for Modern Gardens. A lifetime judge for the American Rose Society, his garden in Wynnewood, Pa., was a local landmark for rose lovers, featuring over 800 varieties. He also collected over 250 timepieces, many of which were featured in his book, American Antique Clocks and Watches.

Dick is survived by his wife, Claribel, daughters Barbara and Deborah, a granddaughter, and a foster grandson, to all of whom the class extends its sympathy.

The Class of 1938