Dr. Brian Clifton Thompson

Dr. Brian Clifton Thompson, 80, of McKinney, Texas returned to his heavenly home to be with Jesus on Thursday, August 4, 2022.

A service will be held at 3:00 PM on Sunday, August 14, 2022, in the Groesbeck Funeral Home Chapel with Reverend Tracy Sims, of the Central Baptist Church of Thornton, officiating. Burial will follow at the Faulkenberry Cemetery in Groesbeck, Texas.

Dr. Thompson was born in San Francisco, California on August 28, 1941; son to Herschel Clifton Thompson and Dorothy Ellen Denney. He was raised in Hollister, California, a farm town only thirty miles from the Pacific beaches. Brian faithfully attended the local Presbyterian church every Sunday with his parents while growing up in California. By the time he was 14 years old, Brian earned the honor of Eagle Scout and appeared in interviews on regional television for attaining the rank at such an early age. During his down time, when he was not studying or working, he loved spending time at the beach, hiking, and biking with his life-long friends Byron McCulley, Joe Nichols, Bob Pivetti, Joe Poggi and Vincent Arroyo.

Brian achieved membership in the California Federation, graduating in 1959 in the top 10% of his High School class. His efforts earned him a full scholarship to Santa Clara University, where he spent two years as an engineering student. In 1961, Brian transferred to the University of California at Berkeley, where he received a Bachelor of Science degree in Industrial Engineering. While at Berkley, he excelled and became a member of two honor engineering fraternities, Alpha Pi Mu and Beta Pi. He ranked in the top 15% of all engineers at Berkley and was selected for the Engineering Joint Council, mentoring incoming first-year students. During this time, Brian also landed a job working for the California Division of Highways as a Civil Engineer trainee and, in the summer of 1963, began working at the Almeda United States Navy Air Station near Berkley.

During the Vietnam war, Brian enlisted for Officer Training School in San Antonio, Texas in March of 1964. Getting into the best shape of his life, he was identified as the third fastest runner in the Squadron out of one hundred men. While serving as an officer in the United States Air Force, he was sent to Perrin Air Force base, about thirty miles north of McKinney, Texas for his first assignment.

During his time in the Dallas area, Brian attended Southern Methodist University where he received a Master of Science in Systems Engineering. Between his Air Force duties and studying at SMU, Dr. Thompson met a pretty schoolteacher, Joy Bates, at a local dance. They fell in love and married on July 29, 1967, in Dallas, Texas.

Soon thereafter, they moved to Colorado Springs, Colorado where he served as a Management Engineering Officer at Ent Air Force base. After being honorably discharged from the Air Force in 1972, Brian completed his PhD in Engineering and Operations Research at Southern Methodist University in 1974.  He later began his career in the Trust Department at Mellon Bank in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where he developed Performance Measurement and Quantitative Investment Systems. Dr. Thompson also completed the Wharton Executive Program at the University of Pennsylvania and the Trust Program at Northwestern University during this time.

Furthermore, Brian served as Director of Management Information Systems at First National Bank of Dallas; At National FSI, he worked as Director of Investment Performance Systems and was promoted to Senior Vice President, overseeing all the software programming and development. Dr. Thompson also served as Managing Director in Sales and in Consulting at First Rate and was a member of the advisory board for the Journal of Performance Measurement until 2011.

In addition to his many achievements, he was a kind-hearted, warm, and generous man with a fantastic sense of humor. Brian enjoyed spending his golden years with his family. He was a devoted grandfather, father, and husband who demonstrated love towards each of them.

Dr. Brian Thompson is survived by his wife, Joy Thompson; his daughter, Kimberly Thompson; his son and daughter-in-law, Matthew and Jeri Thompson; his grandchildren, Chloe Gordon Lopez, and her husband, Arturo Lopez, Ciera Gordon, Tommi Thompson and Blake Thompson.