1924
Jack
2012
Jack Tompkins
July 19, 1924 — July 8, 2012
Dr. Jack Edward Tompkins passed away peacefully at his home in Hewitt, Texas on July 8, 2012. A memorial service will take place at Austin Avenue United Methodist Church in Waco at 10:30 a.m. on Thursday July 12, 2012.
He is survived by his wife of 65 years, Juanita, four children (Richard Tompkins, Suzi Colson, Jane Almeida, and Darin Tompkins), 5 grandchildren, and 6 great grandchildren. Extended family includes his sister, Mrs. Dean Cook of Denver, Colorado. Preceding him in death were his parents, Everett and Opal Tompkins, and his sister, Pat Moore.
Born July 19, 1924 in El Reno, Oklahoma, Dr. Tompkins graduated from El Reno High School in May 1941. Following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, he joined the Navy in December, 1941, and was honorably discharged 4 years later in December, 1945 after serving on 3 naval vessels.
After World War II Dr. Tompkins took advantage of the GI Bill and attended Oklahoma A&M (now Oklahoma State University) where he met and married Juanita Faye McCombs on March 15, 1947. Over a number of years, he would complete his bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees in electrical engineering from OSU.
Early in his professional career, Dr. Tompkins was associated with designing electronic instrumentation used in rockets and satellites in the early space program. He later provided electronic support services to the University of Oklahoma Medical Research Center. His efforts helped interface medical instruments with main-frame computers to help medical professionals analyze and evaluate electroencephalograph (EEG) data to diagnose epilepsy more accurately and specifically.
After completing his doctorate, Dr. Tompkins and his family moved to Waco to help with the conversion of James Connally Air Force Base into the James Connally Technical Institute (JCTI). Specifically, he came to create a model program for training Biomedical equipment technicians. As JCTI developed and expanded to become the Texas State Technical Institute (TSTI), Dr. Tompkins became the manager of the Waco campus and eventually president of TSTI (now Texas State Technical College) from which he retired in 1989. Following retirement, Dr. Tompkins was active in the Senior Kiwanis Club of Waco and his church.
The family wishes to thank the Providence Hospice staff for their assistance and professionalism during the last weeks of Jack’s life. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that contributions be made to the Providence Hospice program (800/625-9328) or the Senior Kiwanis Scholarship fund (contact Dalton Jaynes at 754-5160)
He is survived by his wife of 65 years, Juanita, four children (Richard Tompkins, Suzi Colson, Jane Almeida, and Darin Tompkins), 5 grandchildren, and 6 great grandchildren. Extended family includes his sister, Mrs. Dean Cook of Denver, Colorado. Preceding him in death were his parents, Everett and Opal Tompkins, and his sister, Pat Moore.
Born July 19, 1924 in El Reno, Oklahoma, Dr. Tompkins graduated from El Reno High School in May 1941. Following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, he joined the Navy in December, 1941, and was honorably discharged 4 years later in December, 1945 after serving on 3 naval vessels.
After World War II Dr. Tompkins took advantage of the GI Bill and attended Oklahoma A&M (now Oklahoma State University) where he met and married Juanita Faye McCombs on March 15, 1947. Over a number of years, he would complete his bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees in electrical engineering from OSU.
Early in his professional career, Dr. Tompkins was associated with designing electronic instrumentation used in rockets and satellites in the early space program. He later provided electronic support services to the University of Oklahoma Medical Research Center. His efforts helped interface medical instruments with main-frame computers to help medical professionals analyze and evaluate electroencephalograph (EEG) data to diagnose epilepsy more accurately and specifically.
After completing his doctorate, Dr. Tompkins and his family moved to Waco to help with the conversion of James Connally Air Force Base into the James Connally Technical Institute (JCTI). Specifically, he came to create a model program for training Biomedical equipment technicians. As JCTI developed and expanded to become the Texas State Technical Institute (TSTI), Dr. Tompkins became the manager of the Waco campus and eventually president of TSTI (now Texas State Technical College) from which he retired in 1989. Following retirement, Dr. Tompkins was active in the Senior Kiwanis Club of Waco and his church.
The family wishes to thank the Providence Hospice staff for their assistance and professionalism during the last weeks of Jack’s life. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that contributions be made to the Providence Hospice program (800/625-9328) or the Senior Kiwanis Scholarship fund (contact Dalton Jaynes at 754-5160)
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