Memories of Thompson Orphanage

About the Book

The stories in this book are true. They will give you a glimpse into the lives of little children who are now grown men and women. However, before you read the stories, there is a brief history of the orphanage that I believe you will find interesting. No longer is the orphanage downtown Charlotte but moved outside the city limits to the orphanage farm on St. Peter’s Lane, Matthews, North Carolina. This is where our lake was and where the earlier children used to have so much enjoyment. Most of them in these stories mention the farm and the lake. These small children would have had little chance to grow up into strong men and women who could go out into the world and compete with the best of men had it not been for people who cared. In the cases of the people in these stories, it was Thompson Orphanage in Charlotte, North Carolina, the Episcopal Church, and others that gave willingly toward the support of the orphanage. You will get a glimpse into the lives of individuals from the day they went to Thompson Orphanage until this day. Also, another purpose of this book is help the public understand orphanages. So many people feel sorry for children in orphanages. These are blessed children because they were given the chance in life that so many others needed but were not as fortunate. The ones to feel sorry for are those whose families can’t afford to care for their children and those children who are abused, neglected, and have no one to help them escape their situation.

About the Author

I went to live at Thompson Orphanage when I was eleven years old, along with my two sisters, Annie Ruth and Mary Frances. Annie was ten and Marie (the name we called her) was seven. Our father was from Arkansas, where I was born. He and Mother (who was from North Carolina) separated when I was six years. I never saw him again. I loved him dearly. He was out of sight but never out of mind. He died when I was eight. Later, Mother became very ill, so arrangements were made, with the help of our priest and godmother, for us to go to Thompson, an Episcopal orphanage in Charlotte, North Carolina. I lived there until graduation in 1953 and remained almost two more years to go to King’s Business College. Because of my education at King’s, I was always able to get wonderful employment with outstanding people. My first job was with Mize Company Inc. This was a really nice job, but I missed the noise of people, so I would later seek employment with large corporations or government. Some of my employment was with the North Carolina Library for the Blind in Raleigh, North Carolina; Virginia Department of Social Services; Anson County Hospital in Wadesboro, North Carolina; Belk Brothers in Charlotte, North Carolina; Mecklenburg Administrator’s Office, in Charlotte, and retired with the US Postal Service. My life at the orphanage was very fulfilling. I have kept in touch with so many alumni since I graduated. That is why I was able to write the stories in this book. I hope you understand that I am not saying all the children loved the orphanage, because they did not. It was only after we grew up that many of us realized the wonderful opportunities that we and our families were given. Children, like myself, did not take into consideration that the orphanage was a place of opportunity, built by people who loved children and wanted to see that they had the same opportunities as children living at home with their parents. Orphanages need counselors to help them, especially the small children, understand how much they are loved. I believed with this knowledge it would be much easier for a child to accept their situation with pride and happiness. Realizing your blessings in life is what makes us complete. Well, that is my belief anyway.