Jump to content

User:Hmlarson/Donnis Thompson

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Donnis Thompson
Born
Donnis Thompson

(1933-04-01)April 1, 1933
DiedFebruary 2, 2009(2009-02-02) (aged 75)

Donnis Thompson (April 1, 1933 – February 2, 2009) was a key figure, along with Patsy Mink, in the passage and implementation of Title IX in the United States. Thompson was the first black superintendent for the Hawai'i Department of Education the the first women's track and field coach and athletic director at the University of Hawaii.[1] As the first athletic director, she founded the women's sports program at the university.[2][3]

She authored three books former coach of the U.S. national women's track team (1961)[4]

[5]

[1]


Early years and education

[edit]

In 1953, Thompson was the women's national shot-put champion.[6]

Career

[edit]

Thompson started the women's track and field program at the University of Hawaii at Manoa in 1961 and coached the team for three years.[2]

During her nine-year tenure, Dr. Thompson increased the number of women's sports programs from two to eight, the number of women's athletic scholarships from a handful to 30, and enhanced the women's athletics program into the national spotlight.


In 1981, Thompson left the university to become Hawaii's first woman Superintendent of Education. In her three-year tenure, she authored a 10-year improvement plan for state schools and helped increase the high school graduation rate.

Honors and awards

[edit]

Thompson received the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., National Outstanding Service Award in ____. She was inducted into the University of Hawaii Hall of Fame in ____ and was named an Honor Fellow of the National Association of Girls and Women in Sports. [7] August 15, 1981 was named Donnis Thompson Day in Hawaii.[7]

In October 2007, a sculpture of her likeness was established at the Stan Sheriff Center.[2] The same year, she was inducted to the Hawaii Sports Hall of Fame.[2]


Legacy

[edit]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b Guttman, D. Molentia (September 18, 2012). African Americans in Hawai'i. Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 1439625212. Retrieved 26 May 2017.
  2. ^ a b c d "Former UH Women's A.D. Dr. Donnis Thompson Passes Away". University of Hawaii. February 2, 2009. Retrieved 26 May 2017.
  3. ^ Tsai, Stephen (February 3, 2009). "Donnis Thompson, UH women's sports pioneer". Honolulu Advertiser. Retrieved 26 May 2017.
  4. ^ Liberti, Rita (March 15, 2017). San Francisco Bay Area Sports: Golden Gate Athletics, Recreation, and Community. University of Arkansas Press. p. 172. ISBN 1610756037. Retrieved 26 May 2017.
  5. ^ "Girls' Track Coach in Hawaii". Ebony. No. March 1963. Retrieved 26 May 2017.
  6. ^ "Women's Track Coach Cited by Hawaii AAU". Jet. January 9, 1964. Retrieved 26 May 2017.
  7. ^ a b "Congressional Record, V. 146, Pt. 3, March 21, 2000 to April 4, 2000". U.S. Congress. Retrieved 26 May 2017.

Further reading

[edit]
[edit]



Category:1933 births Category:2009 deaths Category:American feminists Category:Deaths from kidney failure Category:University of Hawaiʻi alumni