CLASS OF 1869

Professor Dwinel French Thompson died April 19 at his home in Lansingburgh, N. Y.

He was born in Bangor, Maine, January 1, 1846, his parents being Joel Dwinel and Harriet Newell (French) Thompson. After the death of his father, the family removed to Auburn, Me. He prepared for college at the Little Blue School, Farmington, Me., and at Lewiston Falls Academy. In 1863 he entered Bowdoin College, where he was for some time a member of the class of 1867. In 1866 he entered the Chandler. Scientific Department at DartMouth in the sophomore class. Here he became a member of the Phi Zeta Mu fraternity, now Sigma Chi. Baseball was just coming into vogue at Dartmouth, and Mr. Thompson, who had played at Bowdoin, was in 1866 made captain of the college nine, and continued in that position until his graduation. He has been justly called the "father of baseball" at Dartmouth.

For the first three years after graduation he served as tutor in the Chandler School. He was then appointed professor of descriptive geometry and drawing in Rennselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, N. Y., and held this position until his resignation in 1916, when he was appointed emeritus. The Troy Times contains this tribute to his work and his personality: "The Institute has had many excellent teachers in its faculty, but none ever had the loving respect of the entire body of students to a greater degree than Professor Thompson. Yet Professor Thompson was of extraordinary modesty and quiet in his manner. He was not of the aggressive type, but the R. P. I. men quickly recognized his genuine manhood, and were grateful for the democratic way in which he mingled with them and encouraged and shared in their activities, both as undergraduates and as alumni. He was the most constant and sympathetic promoter of athletics the Institute ever had."

In 1870 he edited and illustrated a book on free hand drawing by Professor J. S. Woodman of Dartmouth, and in 1873 he revised and enlarged Mahan's "Industrial Drawing". He was much interested in: genealogy, and compiled a genealogy of the descendants of Edward French of Salisbury, Mass. For many years he was necrologist of the Institute, and rendered his report at the annual meeting of the alumni.

He was a director of the Leonard Hospital, president of the Deborah Powers Old Ladies' Home, a trustee of Lansingburgh Academy, and president of the Riverside Club. He was a member of the First Presbyterian church, and was for many years superintendent of its Sunday school.

In 1914 Dartmouth conferred on him the honorary degree of Master of Science.

January 1, 1880, Professor Thompson was married to Mary Lena Saxton of Troy, who survives him. They have one daughter, Mrs. Robert Hall of Lockport, N. Y., and three sons, Gordon Saxton Thompson, assistant professor of rational and technical mechanics at the Institute, Nathaniel French Thompson of Buffalo, district engineer of the New York Central Railroad Company, and Dwinel Burt Thompson of New York.