Milford High to dedicate auditorium in memory of former teacher July 29

The Milford School District board voted unanimously in June 2022 to rename the Milford High School Auditorium as the Dr. Gerald W. Thompson Center for the Performing Arts.

The board had received a petition bearing more than 1,000 names including members of the Marching Bucs, theater, rock band and chorus, veterans, colleagues, band booster parents, family and friends, and members reported hearing from many MHS alumni and parents, all in support of the initiative.

The MHS Auditorium will be dedicated and renamed in memory of the retired educator and musician at 10 a.m., Saturday, July 29.  Performances and a reception will follow. All are welcome to attend and celebrate a man who served his country and community.

A GoFundMe site has raised $4,755 to date. Funds will be used to purchase a memorial plaque and pay for auditorium upgrades so it will remain a special place for future generations of performers.

MHS alumnus Eric Camper said, “I think about him daily. Every time I see a marching band, hear a trumpet, every time I watch any movie with Vietnam in it, I think of Thompson. He will never know how many lives he touched and continues to influence to this very day. I will always remember meeting him for the first time during my middle school band days, seeing the joy in his eyes as he saluted veterans while marching down the street during parades, feeling the disappointment from him when I wasn’t living up to the potential he knew I had, and feeling great pride when he shook my hand at graduation. All of these memories roll through my brain and made me the person I am today. I hope we all made him very proud.”

For more information, see the event on Facebook.