Thompson
A beloved Clark-Pleasant educator, wrestling coach and school board member has died.
Dave Thompson, who had been serving on the Clark-Pleasant Community School Board since 2020, died Monday at the age of 74. He was Pleasant Township’s representative on the school board and served as its president last year.
Thompson had a long history of involvement with Clark-Pleasant before winning a school board seat. He taught industrial technology at Clark-Pleasant Middle School for 39 years and coached high school wrestling and football for 40 years.
He is a member of the Indiana Wrestling Hall of Fame and coached four wrestling state champions during his tenure as coach. Thompson was also an active member of the Indiana State Teachers Association and a member of the Whiteland United Methodist Church.
Thompson received a Level 1 Commendable individual award from the Indiana Schools Boards Association earlier this year.
A moment of silence was held at the beginning of Wednesday’s school board meeting in Thompson’s honor. District officials say Thompson’s legacy with the community is much richer than his time on the board.
He was “a man who was passionate about and fought for the constant improvement of educational opportunities in this school corporation. His mission was first and foremost to prepare our students for life but as a full-time teacher and coach for 40 years, he also spoke up for the rights of teachers, administrators, and Clark-Pleasant families,” a statement from school administrators says.
“I will miss Dave Thompson. If you looked in the dictionary under ‘educator,’ Dave’s name would be there,” Superintendent Tim Edsell said in a statement. “He was a teacher, coach, mentor and board member but most of all he was a devoted husband, father and grandfather. No one loved Clark-Pleasant Schools more than Dave Thompson.”
Fellow board member and friend for 50 years, Butch Zike said all of Thompson’s students thought the world of him. Board members will miss his “common sense.”
“I think the one thing that you can say about Dave Thompson and his coaching is he always had the kid’s interest first,” Zike said. “He would tell you the most important thing that he had was that he had a love for athletes. He wanted them to grow not only athletically, but he wanted them to grow and become productive citizens of society.”
The community lost a “legend,” Whiteland Athletics said in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter.
“To know Coach Thompson was to respect and love him,” Whiteland Athletics said on X. “He was an amazing educator, coach, father and grandfather.”
Thompson leaves behind his wife, Susan, a long-time English teacher at Whiteland Community High School, and two daughters, Brooke and Brette. Brooke teaches English at WCHS and serves as president of the Clark-Pleasant Education Association. Brette previously taught biology at WCHS and but now lives in Fort Wayne. He also leaves behind three granddaughters — Isabella, Eleanor and Vivian.
Thompson was “very proud” of the fact that both his daughters and wife were teachers at Clark-Pleasant, his family told the Daily Journal. They thanked the community for their outpouring of love and support during this time.
“We are proud of the legacy he leaves behind,” their statement said.
A visitation will be held from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. July 2 at Jessen Funeral Home & Simple Cremation, 729 U.S. 31 South, Whiteland, followed by a graveside service at Greenlawn Cemetery in Franklin. More information can be found in his obituary.
The school board will be working to fill the vacancy Thompson’s death leaves on the board. Remaining members of the board will fill the vacancy by a majority vote within 30 days. His term ends on Dec. 31.
Persons interested in filling this vacancy must be 21 years of age, live in Pleasant Township and submit a letter of interest. Letters should include why you are interested in serving on the board, past involvement with CPCSC and any qualifications and background that would make the individual a viable candidate.
Letters of interest can be sent via email to [email protected] or mailed to the CPCSC School Board at 50 Center St, Whiteland. All letters of interest must be received or postmarked by 11:59 p.m. July 7.
The Pleasant Township seat on the school board is up for election this fall. Thompson filed for reelection earlier this month and was unopposed.
Information on how Thompson’s death will affect the election was not available Thursday afternoon. The Johnson County Clerk’s Office is researching the issue and more information will be made available later, County Clerk Trena McLaughlin said.
Daily Journal news editor Noah Crenshaw contributed to this report.
