Ralph Judson Thompson

Dr. Ralph Judson Thompson, age 94, passed away peacefully on May 30, 2024, in Tidwell Hospice, Bradenton, Florida surrounded by his loving family.

Born in Greenville, Texas to Waddy Judson Thompson and Janetti Hood Thompson, Ralph grew up the youngest and only boy of five children on his family’s dairy farm.  After graduating from high school, Ralph went on to graduate from the University of Texas in 1963 with a physics and chemistry degree.  

After graduation, he took a two-year postdoctoral research position at Indiana University before joining the faculty at Eastern Kentucky University and becoming the first faculty sponsor for Phi Delta Theta Fraternity. His dedication and love for his fraternity spanned over 50 years and he cherished and mentored his brothers throughout the rest of his life.  On his 91st birthday, surrounded by his Phi Delta Theta brothers, he is quoted as saying to them, “God put a lot of years in my life, but the Phi Delts have put a lot of life in my years.”

Predeceased by his wife Elizabeth in 2021, Ralph is survived by his son and daughter in law, Erik and Melinda Thompson, of Bradenton Beach, Florida and a daughter, Karen Thompson of Spring Hill, Florida. Also surviving are his grandchildren, Judson Thompson, William Thompson, Samantha Thompson and Davontay Seabrooks.