Longtime educator and mentor Eustace Thompson died Friday, Aug. 8, after a battle with leukemia. He was 81.
Born on July 5, 1944, Thompson graduated from Newton High School in Elmhurst, Queens, before earning a bachelor’s degree from the City College of New York. He then went on to receive his master’s degree from Long Island University and later secured his doctoral degree in organizational studies from New York University.
Thompson had been through it all during his career in education. He began as a social studies teacher for Berriman Junior High School and Cordero Junior High School in Brooklyn. From there, he left New York to take his first administrative position as vice principal at Middletown High School in Connecticut.
Thompson transitioned to his longest tenured and final position in middle school and high school, serving 23 years in the Uniondale School District. He was the principal of Turtle Hook Middle School and Uniondale High School, as well as the assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction and deputy superintendent of schools.
The Mineola resident is survived by his three children. His daughter, Beatrice, and his son, Eustace, were from his first marriage with his high school girlfriend, Sally. The two married in 1965 before getting divorced in 1993. From a marriage with his former wife, Shirley, they have a son named Jordan.
As Thompson’s career began to wind down, he retired from the Uniondale School District before joining Hofstra University in 2003. At Hofstra, he was a professor in the Department of Foundations, Leadership, and Policy Studies. He was then the program director for the Advanced Certificate Leadership program and chair of the Educational Policy and Leadership doctoral program.
In 2022, Hofstra honored Thompson by naming him the School of Education Teacher of the Year.
After his 37-year career, Thompson officially retired at 79 years old after his stint at Hofstra. He was awarded the 2020 Nassau BOCES Education Partner. The awards program aims to recognize the best community and business leaders, civil servants, government officials, teachers, school administrators, and more.
The program highlighted Thompson’s experiences in urban and suburban public school systems, as well as his contributions to 10 publications of program evaluation audits in places like Fort Bend, Texas, Oakland and Compton, Calif., and Baltimore, Md. Thompson was a certified curriculum auditor and walk-through supervision trainer.
On Rate My Professor, a site where students give their thoughts on professors they’ve had, Thompson received many highly regarded reviews. One student said, “Dr. Thompson is the best of the best. I chose him over any professor during registration. He will get you through anything, and you will succeed. He differentiates for his students and is truly an incredible professor. I’m a better student, leader, and researcher as a result of having him by my side through many courses. He is your ally. Take him!”
A memorial will be held on Thursday, Sept. 25, at the campus of Hofstra University from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. in the plaza rooms of the Sondra and David S. Mack Student Center.
