Next in the series is Radclyffe “Mike” Thompson, a retired trust and investment salesman and currently, the longest serving Trustee with the Foundation.
Background & Career: Thompson grew up in Fairfield, Connecticut and spent his career first working for a family company (Wawa) and then as a salesman with three different trust companies.
Music Involvement: Thompson learned about and grew to love music from an early age. His mother was a classical pianist and his father was a jazz piano player. Thompson and his siblings all took piano lessons at an early age, but it wasn’t until he picked up clarinet at age 12 that he fell in love with playing an instrument. “I felt like I could sing through the clarinet.” He played it in a jazz group and also sang in choirs from grade school all the way to the current day. In college at the University of the Pennsylvania, Thompson first studied music. While he ended up changing his major, he sang in the Penn Glee Club where he served as a student conductor for his mentor Bruce Montgomery, a previous Trustee with the Foundation.
Love for Music: “Music has been a vital part of my life.”
How did he learn about The Presser Foundation?: Thompson knew Phil Young, another previous Trustee. When Young moved away from Philadelphia, he shared information about “an amazing board” that Thompson might consider joining. Thompson also sang in a church choir with Henderson “Woozy” Supplee III, the President of the Board for many years.
Thompson started on the Advancement of Music Committee and has also served on the Finance, Assistance to Music Teachers, and Capital Support committees. He chairs the Assistance to Music Teachers Committee, which has a deep and longstanding connection to The Presser Foundation.
Board Member Since: 1996
Role at the Foundation: Assistance to Music Teachers Committee Chair, Advancement of Music Committee
Favorite memories of being on the Board: Thompson recalls two favorite moments of being on the Board.
His first involves introducing the Chester Children’s Chorus (CCC) to the Foundation. Located on Swarthmore College’s campus, CCC provides year-round music and math education to children in Chester. Upon learning about them and their work, Thompson recommended them as a grantee. He recalls them saying that “if The Presser Foundation would support us, it would be hugely important.” CCC has been a grantee ever since that first introduction.
Another favorite memory comes from a site visit to Temple Music Preparatory Division. When the team ran into a Presser Scholar who gave him a big hug and shared, “you have no idea how affirming receiving this Award has been,” Thompson could see firsthand the impact that the Foundation makes in the lives of its grant recipients.
What he enjoys the most: He most enjoys serving on a “wonderful board with remarkable people.”
“I’m thrilled to have been a part of it all these many years!”
Impact of the Foundation: Thompson shared that when an organization receive the Foundation’s support, it demonstrates that their work has significance in the music community. “That support means so much to them,” he explained.
Future of the Foundation: He sees the Foundation continuing to support many music organizations, especially as it has shifted from solely funding classical and jazz organizations to supporting a broad array of music genres.
What does he do in his free time?: A Vietnam Army veteran, Thompson enjoys singing in the Orpheus Club of Philadelphia and heading its Membership Committee. He rows, sails, loves gardening, and serves on many committees at his church.
