William L.

William LaMont "T" Thompson (born June 14, 1951) is President and CEO of the Association of Graduates of the United States Air Force Academy.

A native of Orangeburg, South Carolina, he was one of the first African-American students to desegregate previously all-white Orangeburg High School in 1965.

Thompson was one of the first African-American students to de-segregate previously all white, Orangeburg High School in 1965.

While at Orangeburg High he played football, basketball and ran track, lettering numerous times.

He was an academic standout and a perennial honor student.

Active in the community, Thompson was also an Eagle Scout.

He became the first African-American from South Carolina to receive an appointment to the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado in 1969.

Captain Thompson also enjoyed a twenty-five-year career with Delta Air Lines and served as Commissioner of the Massachusetts Aeronautics Commission.

The longest serving Commissioner in its history, he has worked under both Democratic and Republican governors.

He graduated in 1969 with a National Merit commendation, All-American honors in football and AAU recognition in track, and became the first African-American from South Carolina to receive an appointment to the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado.

While at the Academy, he was a member of the 1971 Sugar Bowl Team, was on the Commandant’s list, attained the rank of Cadet Lt. Colonel and served as a member of the Cadet Wing Staff, the five man governing body of the school.

After graduation from the academy in 1973, Lieutenant Thompson was appointed to a special assignment as the Minority Affairs Advisor to the Superintendent of the Academy.

In this position, which he was instrumental in creating; Lieutenant Thompson was responsible for increasing minority enrollment at the Academy.

The Minority Affairs Office has since grown into a thirteen-person staff and has been responsible for the recruitment of thousands of minority students to the Air Force Academy.

After a year in this special assignment, Thompson entered jet pilot training in Valdosta, Georgia, finishing as the Outstanding Lieutenant in his class.

He was selected for immediate entrance into Air Force Instructor Pilot School and held both the Instructor and Master Instructor designations during his 7-year tour in the Air Force.

In addition to his flying duties, Captain Thompson held numerous positions of increasing responsibility, including Deputy Flight Commander, Chief of Wing Life Support, and the President of the Junior Officer’s Council.

He also attended California State University, completing 15 units towards a Masters of History with a 3.9 GPA before opting to pursue a Juris Doctor degree at the University of the Pacific McGeorge School of Law.

He separated from the service in 1980 to accept a pilot’s position with Delta Air Lines and relocated to Boston, MA to fly and to complete his final year of law school at Suffolk University.

He completed his legal studies on Dean’s List, having been invited to solicit for Law Review.

Thompson began his employment with Delta Air Lines in August 1980 as a Second Officer on the Boeing 727 aircraft.

During his twenty-five-year tenure with Delta, he progressed through several positions and aircraft and retired as a Line Check Captain with an assignment to the Boeing 767-400 aircraft.

As a Line Check Captain, Thompson was responsible for both training and evaluating other Delta Captains and co-pilots.

In addition to his flying duties, Captain Thompson was an active participant in the Flight Operations Department, representing Delta at numerous conferences, expos and civic engagements.

Additionally, he was active with the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA) serving as Chairman of the Legislative Affairs Committee.

As one of the aviation industry’s few African-American commercial airline pilots, Captain Thompson was very active in the minority community.

He has been a speaker at numerous inner city schools, helped establish a national scholarship program for minority students interested in aviation and served as Committee Chairman for the Joint National Convention of the Organization of Black Airline Pilots (OBAP) and the Tuskegee Airmen.

Captain Thompson has received numerous indices of recognition from Delta Air Lines, ALPA and OBAP for his contributions.

Attorney Thompson is a member of the Massachusetts Bar and the Washington, DC Bar.

He is certified to practice before the US Tax Court and is admitted to the Bar of the Supreme Court of the United States.

He began the practice of law and also founded the Summit Group in 1982.

Through growth, acquisitions and mergers, Thompson built the company into a small conglomerate which owned Subway, Dunkin Donuts and TCBY fast food franchises.

The Summit Group also acquired a systems integration company, an engineering and testing company and a medical services firm.

The company’s offices were located in Portland, Maine; Boston, Massachusetts; Austin, Texas and Colorado Springs, Colorado.

They were divorced in 2001.

Born in Orangeburg, South Carolina, he is the son of Pearl, an educator, and Willie J. Thompson, an educator and state administrator.

Thompson was appointed by Gov. John Hickenlooper to the Colorado Aeronautical Board, effective 1 February 2013.

He is also an attorney and member of the District of Columbia and Massachusetts Bars.

William "T" Thompson resides in Atlanta, Georgia.

Formerly married to Kathie Taylor, the couple had two daughters, Taylor and Sydney.