I enjoyed the article about Mr. Bill Thompson by Ralph Jimenez (“A star rediscovered,” Monitor, 7/18). When I was young my father was associated with the Concord Police Department and we always chatted with him. I called him “Mr. Bill.” He was tall and proud and spoke as if he was on the stage before an audience. He eagerly answered my baseball questions, signed my baseballs and gave me tips on base running and how to hold a bat. I had a mop of red hair back then. Bill told me that he had a cousin with red hair just like mine and that we were probably related. He always called me cousin Chuckie. He called all boys Chuckie or Chuggie, and I was especially proud that he singled me out and called me ‘cousin.’
Charlie Davie told me of an encounter when Bill Thompson saved him from getting a punch in the nose. During one of his stints as Concord’s mayor, Charlie was accosted by an unhappy, inebriated citizen. As Charlie told it, there he was, in front of the police station, and there wasn’t a cop in sight. Just as the assailant’s hand was ready to smack Charlie’s nose, a larger hand stopped it. It was Bill. He heard the ruckus and walked outside his living quarters to help. Charlie said that Bill wasn’t confrontational to the assailant. He just said, “You shouldn’t do that.” The man quickly departed. Nice article and excellent research by Mr. Jimenez’s associates.
Larry Sullivan
Warner