About Colonel Robert C. Thompson: The Biography of My Grandfather. This is the story of U.S. Air Force Colonel (ret.) Robert C. (akaTommy) Thompson of Lompoc, California who passed away on Wednesday, May 31, 2006 at the age of 88. Tommy's story is told by his youngest granddaughter Elizabeth Donahey who sat alongside her grandfather listening to and documenting his life's recollections during the year leading up to his death in 2006. This biography is a candid yet elegant account that captures the major highlights of his life, from the hand-built town of Cactus Lake, Canada in turn of the century, to intense accounts of his days as a military leader in the battles of WWII. When Tommy went to enlist in the Army, a recruiting sergeant encouraged him to take an aviation exam instead. Although he had never been in an airplane or considered becoming a pilot, Tommy took the necessary test and was one of five who passed, out of a total of 50 that tried. He became a cadet in the Army Air Force on January 27, 1942. Just a few weeks later, he completed his pilot training at Kelly Field in San Antonio, Texas. While stationed as a Second Lieutenant and flight instructor for C47 ßGooney Birdà planes at Bergstrom Air Force Base, in Austin, Texas, Tommy met Anne Lee Harris at a dance and was married less than a year later on October 2, 1943. During WWII, Tommy served with the 318th Troop Carrier Squadron in the South Pacific, leading missions that dropped supplies and picked up wounded soldiers. When the war was over, Tommy left the service to complete a Bachelor and Master's degrees in Aeronautical Engineering from Purdue University. His career was increasingly focused in the field of ballistic missile research and development. Beginning in 1964, Tommy oversaw the development and testing of the Atlas and Minuteman ballistic missiles at Vandenberg's Advance Ballistic Reentry System program. After 30 years in Air Force service, Tommy retired on December 1, 1971 as a full Colonel. That would not be the end of his career, he was then hired to work for Space Data Corporation for another 11 years until his second retirement in 1983. Tommy's most recent volunteer activities included The Rotary Club of Vandenberg Village, where he was especially devoted to annual Lompoc Flower Festival and the international campaign to eradicate polio. He was also a faithful driver for Meals on Wheels delivering meals to other seniors and the disabled in his community. His favorites hobbies were golfing and seeing the country and old military friends in their RV. Tommy was survived by his wife Anne, with whom he shared 62 wonderful years of marriage. He is also survived by his three sisters: Anna Jane Smailes, Jean Jones, and Ruth Currie, three daughters: Marcy Lee Clausen and husband Jerry, Robbie Thompson and husband Wayne Hyman, and Michal Fletcher; grandchildren and their spouses: Leanne (Jeff), Dylan, Mark, Tom (Dao), Hien (Les), Tracy (Lance), Elizabeth (Andrew), Ryan, and Travis, plus 9 great grandchildren: Kayla, Hollie, Adam, Tyler, Taylor, Lauren, Cohen, Faith Anne, Derek, Danika, Chloe, Camryn and Cassidy; and numerous nieces, nephews and cousins. He was predeceased by his brother Kenneth and his first granddaughter, Kerry Ann.
About the Author: Elizabeth K. Donahey, MA is a Northern California author, poet, assistant professor, wife and mother of three. The biography of her grandfather, Retired Colonel R. C. Thompson, and much of his life's recollections, are strong inspirations for her own career and academic pursuits. He dared to dream beyond humble beginnings, and was driven to excel above the limits of the sky in pursuit of excellence. and innovation. To learn more, visit: www.ElizabethDonahey.com