The Shadow
BUENA VISTA - Irma Thompson’s philosophy is: “I’m not going to rust out, I’m going to wear out!” These are not idle words. And Irma Thompson is anything but idle.
The 92-year-old Buena Vista native and retired teacher recently completed two computer classes at the Dabney S. Lancaster Community College Rockbridge Regional Center, and plans to continue with additional courses during the spring semester.
“I took a computer course through the school system years ago and I hated it,” Thompson said laughingly.
Thompson, who was the Title I supervisor for Buena Vista schools for many years said, “I was so glad when that class ended. I didn’t bother with it again for a long time.” Later, she purchased a home computer, took another class, and got additional help from her daughter, who lives nearby. But felt she needed more instruction.
When she saw that DSLCC was offering beginning computer classes, she decided to take advantage of them. She enrolled in “Introduction to Computers II” last summer at the RRC, because she was interested in learning a bit about PowerPoint, a program designed for making presentations. The course also included an introduction to Excel, a program used to create spreadsheets.
Thompson says if she wasn’t too fond of the Excel program, but she bravely backtracked and enrolled in “Introduction to Computers I” in the fall. Her instructor was Ed Mays, whose mother, Dora Hartwill Mays, and twin sister, Dorothy Hartwill Dixon, were students of Thompson’s in Glasgow in the 1940s. Thompson also taught their brother, Donald, as well. Mays has been teaching non-credit computer classes for the DSLCC Continuing Education program since 2004.
And how did his star pupil do? Very well, indeed.
“Being a former teacher, Mrs. Thompson is well aware of the importance that education can play in the lives of students,” said Mays. “Not only has she spent many years helping to educate others, she continues to increase her knowledge by taking computer courses, demonstrating a seriousness toward learning. Mrs. Thompson is a fine example for others by serving as a reminder that age should never be a deterrent to continuing one’s education.”
Thompson is also attending sessions of a self-paced beginning computer course offered at DSLCC by the Rockbridge Regional Library. She plans to take another course this semester taught by Mays, who teaches several beginning computer courses at the DSLCC Rockbridge Regional Center, two of which begin Jan. 19.
A lifelong resident of Buena Vista, Thompson lives on the same street where she grew up. She attended Lylburn Downing High School in Lexington and also Bluefield State College High School. She then attended Bluefield State College, and earned what was then called a normal professional degree. She later returned and received her degree in elementary education, and began her teaching career in 1938 with Rockbridge County schools, teaching in a one-room school in Goshen, where she taught all seven grades.
“It was a challenge having all seven grades in the same room, but the older students helped the younger ones and that made a difficult situation much easier,” she recalls.
After taking some time off to have her three children, Thompson began teaching in Glasgow. She taught 1st, 2nd and 3rd grades the first year, then 4th through 6th grades for a total of 13 years. In 1956,she began teaching in the Buena Vista School System at Park Avenue Elementary School, which is now the home of the Buena Vista Police Department. After the schools were integrated, Thompson taught at Enderly Heights Elementary School, and later became the Title I reading instructor for the Buena Vista School System.
When Thompson retired in 1985, she had taught school for a total of 42 years. But she didn’t retire altogether; she was hired by Mary Baldwin College to supervise their student teachers in the area.
Thompson is also actively involved in her city. She is serving her third term as a member of the Buena Vista Planning Commission, a position she takes very seriously, and she is a member of the Buena Vista Colored School Historical Society, which is working to renovate the school building at 30th and Rockbridge Streets, where she and her children all attended classes.
Her late husband, John, who was also employed by the Buena Vista School System, passed away in 1992. Their children are daughter Danta Johnson, who lives in Buena Vista, and two sons, John E., who lives in Maryland, and William B., in Texas. Thompson has seven grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.
Thompson enjoys reading and belongs to a book club; she also knits and crochets. She finds she can’t do all the heavy housework she used to do, but does what she can. She frequently uses email to communicate. Recently, she was trying to cut and paste a recipe into the email window to send to a friend, and couldn’t get it to work. Her niece walked her through the process of attaching a document to the email, and voila! Success.
One thing is for sure: Instructor Mays can expect to see Irma Thompson sitting in one of his classes again this semester, ready to learn more.
For more information about computer classes, or any of the non-credit offerings at the DSLCC Rockbridge Regional Center, call (540) 261-1211, or contact the non-credit coordinator at (540) 863-2863 or email jclark@dslcc.edu.
