>newground
The Thompkins' with Wilson
Walk into the Grand Lobby of the Indiana State Museum and you will see a life-size replica of the three-story facade of Indianapolis’ Oscar C. McCullough School No. 5. The school was named after the 19th century social activist and pastor whose passion for service included founding a free kindergarten, the city's first school for nurses, and an orphanage.
It was here at the museum lobby that Gerald O. and Treva Thompkins arrived for brunch one day in April 2005 to celebrate their gift of a scholarship to the Indiana University School of Education in Indianapolis and to present it to the scholarship's first recipient.
A more fitting symbol of the Thompkins' gift or their lives would be hard to find. School No. 5, which originally stood not far from the museum itself, was the site of Treva Thompkins’ first teaching job in the Indianapolis Public Schools system. Her return to this great landmark appropriately marks both Gerald and Treva’s lifelong dedication to urban public education.
As the largest annual scholarship in the school of education’s history, this gift is also a unique milestone for the school. The scholarship will award $2,000 annually to an academically talented student in the teacher education program, whose education would otherwise be interrupted. This year’s recipient was Ayana Wilson, a 24-year-old Indianapolis native and a single mother with two children. The scholarship will enable Ayana to student teach while supporting her family.
The Thompkins' gift honors Gerald's parents, Mary and O’Dell Thompkins, who first taught him that education is “the highest calling there is” and that it can uplift the lives of poor and minority children. Mary Thompkins was an Indianapolis Public School teacher for 32 years. O’Dell was a pastry chef for the railroad until his retirement and then worked as domestic help.
“It was their motivation, inspiration, and guidance that propelled me through college and graduate school,” Gerald says.
Propelled him, in fact, to pursue his career to the highest levels. Gerald received a BS and MS from IUPUI and a PhD from Michigan State University, all in the field of education. His career took him from Indianapolis Public School No. 30 to IUPUI and Michigan State University. He is currently associate dean for student affairs in the College of Engineering at Wayne State University.
Treva taught at Northwest High School and was chair of the family and consumer science departments at Howe and Broad Ripple high schools. She also directed adult education at Manual, Washington, and Howe high schools. She is now the director of training and development for the city of Detroit, Michigan.
The Thompkins' own lives echo the very architecture of the State Museum’s historic façade, whose purpose was “to persuade its students that education is the path to a better future.”
No doubt the repercussions of this gift will find their way back into Indianapolis' public schools and ultimately have the same impact.
—Liz Rosdeitcher
Learn more about the IUPUI School of Education