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| Mrs Emma Thompson |
(continued)
member of Friendship A.M.E. Church, Mrs.
Thompson serves on the church's Trustee
Board in an emirita position and also sings
on its senior choir.
"Miss Emma" is a graduate of Bell Street
High School in Clinton and Allen University in
Columbia. She later received an associate
degree om early childhood education from
Lander University in Greenwood.
Mrs. Thompson was an elementary school
teacher for many year in Marlboro, Laurens,
Spartanburgm and Newberry counties.
Once the head teacher for the Laurens
County Head Start Program, she was the first
education director for the program and
continued to hold that position when Laurens
County's Head Start progran merged with
Greenwood County's Head Start program
under what became called GLEAAMS
(Greenwood-Laurens-Edgefield-Abbeville-An
derson-McCormick-Saluda) Head Start.
A member of the local VFW Patriotic Singers,
Mrs. Thompson is also a member of the New
Bethel Order of the Eastern Star No. 295, the
National Council of Negro Women, Inc.,
"Shadows" Auxilliary of Phi Beta Sigma
Fraternity. Inc., and the Zeta Lambda Chapter
of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc.
A co-founder of Clinton's Thompson Mortuary
(which has also served as a community
center since 1949). Mrs. Thompson was
instrumental in providing transportation to
Laurens County citizens to register and to
vote.
One Mrs. Beasley recalls: "Miss Emma told
me a long time ago, when we were first
voting here in Laurens County - (when)
Blacks began to vote - Miss Emma and
another lady - they were pregnant - stood in
the line and Miss Emma said, 'Don't worry;
they won't bother us because we're too
pregnant."
A licensed funeral director, she also served
assistant secretary for the S.C. Morticians
Association for eight years.
Mrs. Thompson, a ;ofe member of tje
organization herself, has served on the
Laurens Count Branch of the NAACP.
member of Friendship A.M.E. Church, Mrs.
Thompson serves on the church's Trustee
Board in an emirita position and also sings
on its senior choir.
"Miss Emma" is a graduate of Bell Street
High School in Clinton and Allen University in
Columbia. She later received an associate
degree om early childhood education from
Lander University in Greenwood.
Mrs. Thompson was an elementary school
teacher for many year in Marlboro, Laurens,
Spartanburgm and Newberry counties.
Once the head teacher for the Laurens
County Head Start Program, she was the first
education director for the program and
continued to hold that position when Laurens
County's Head Start progran merged with
Greenwood County's Head Start program
under what became called GLEAAMS
(Greenwood-Laurens-Edgefield-Abbeville-An
derson-McCormick-Saluda) Head Start.
A member of the local VFW Patriotic Singers,
Mrs. Thompson is also a member of the New
Bethel Order of the Eastern Star No. 295, the
National Council of Negro Women, Inc.,
"Shadows" Auxilliary of Phi Beta Sigma
Fraternity. Inc., and the Zeta Lambda Chapter
of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc.
A co-founder of Clinton's Thompson Mortuary
(which has also served as a community
center since 1949). Mrs. Thompson was
instrumental in providing transportation to
Laurens County citizens to register and to
vote.
One Mrs. Beasley recalls: "Miss Emma told
me a long time ago, when we were first
voting here in Laurens County - (when)
Blacks began to vote - Miss Emma and
another lady - they were pregnant - stood in
the line and Miss Emma said, 'Don't worry;
they won't bother us because we're too
pregnant."
A licensed funeral director, she also served
assistant secretary for the S.C. Morticians
Association for eight years.
Mrs. Thompson, a ;ofe member of tje
organization herself, has served on the
Laurens Count Branch of the NAACP.
(This historical sketch was compiled both from a
January 20, 1993 The Laurens County Advertiser
article written by editor Rich Brown, and personal
interviews with Mrs. Thompson. The newspaper article
was headlined "NAACP gives award to Emma
Thompson"
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