Tommy Thompson earned a respectable living as a butcher but stressed that his sons pursue careers outside the meat-cutting trade.
His desire reflected one that his father, the late B.T. Thompson, impressed on him. The elder Thompson had been a top-notch body repair man, but he never groomed his son in how to manipulate metal. Likewise Mr. Thompson, a Morrow resident with nearly 50 years in butchery, didn't pass the skill on to his boys.
"His father didn't want him to learn his skill and he didn't teach us how to be a butcher," said a son, Scott Thompson of Vinings. "When he got into butchering, you got more bulk meat, raw animals that he had to cut and package the way his customers wanted it. He evolved with the industry."
Months ago, Herman "Tommy" Thompson was diagnosed with pancreatitis, which he died from on July 27 at Piedmont Hospital. He was 72. A memorial was held Sunday at Lester C. Litesey Funeral Home in Cedartown, his hometown. Atlanta Mortuary Service handled arrangements.
Mr. Thompson's grocery career started with a Big Apple Food Store in East Point. He was a twenty-something, fresh out of the Army as a Fort McPherson military police officer. He toiled nearly 30 years at various Big Apple locations before joining Moreland Super Valu Foods, his employer the past 20 years or so.
Ralph Edwards, a store co-owner, attests that this butcher knew his way around a carcass, pork or beef, and had an eye for quality and primary cuts.
"He could cut all angles of a beef half, though we don't get those anymore," said Mr. Edwards, who co-owns the grocery with Doug Dowdy. "He was trained in the old-fashioned way. He was a perfectionist and he was very demanding, but he ran a good show."
Though the meat-cutting industry changed, Mr. Thompson held steady in one respect: Customer service. He knew what shoppers wanted and ordered it from the suppliers who delivered it wrapped or pre-packaged. One customer might favor chitterlings and hog jowls; another might prefer prime beef cuts.
"It was different at every location, and he worked from East Point to Jonesboro to Riversdale," his son said. "He called all his employees his children, no matter the color. He was very disciplined and very respectful. He was a tough guy, but a nice guy, too. He was just one of those tough-love kinds of guys who evolved with the industry and knew how to buy and make a profit. An artist in cutting meat."
Mr. Thompson graduated from Cedartown High, where he played football. He was a NASCAR man and Braves fan. He impressed on all his children to aim higher and, in particular, wanted his sons to look beyond a craft he embraced 47 years. Scott and Lance Thompson graduated from Riverdale High; each received an appointment to West Point, though they chose The Citadel.
Today, Scott's employer is a private equity firm, and Lance is the defensive line coach at the University of Tennessee.
"[Butchering] is not what he wanted us to do," his son said, "but he was one of the top-notch meat cutters and experts."
Survivors besides his sons include a wife, Gail Knight of Morrow; daughters, Abby Wiggins of Birmingham and LuAnn Knight of Troy, Ala.; a sister, Sue Mobley of Rome; and five grandchildren.
About the Author