a life of
V
BAL NCE
From the 25th anniversary of The Lexington School to the approach of the 60th this fall, Bob
Chris Young ’90, board of
trustees president, bestows
honorary alumni status upon
Bob Thompson (H’19).
Thompson (H’19) has been a constant and wise protector of the school’s financial resources.
Giving background, Chuck Baldecchi (H’19) explains,
“When Bob Thompson started at The Lexington
School, it was just a young school trying to find its way.
Now, due to Mr. Thompson’s conservative budgeting
and long-range vision, TLS has one of the strongest
balance sheets in the independent school world.”
In looking back to those early years, Bob remembers,
“I was working as internal auditor for a bank in a
nearby community when I got a call from Ann Eames
[a faculty member on the search committee for a new
Head of School] to let me know of the opening. I
actually interviewed with a number of trustees in the
office I now occupy. Mrs. [Betty Jo] Palmer, the board
chair, was acting Head of School at the time, and the
business manager had left earlier in the spring. Stuart
Smith was hired as Interim Head a little later in the
10
summer. He was a great mentor, and I learned a great
deal about independent schools from him.”
Over the decades, the strong sense of community
has been vitally important to Bob: “I am most proud of
the team of people I have worked with over the years.
The business office, IT, maintenance, and food service
leadership and staff have been outstanding. They have
worked long hours, exceeded expectations, and done
their best to serve the TLS community. The focus of
everyone has always been on the success of the students.”
Difficult as it is to choose favorite career highlights,
Bob acknowledges, “I’ve enjoyed numerous things
over the years, but I think the past few years have
been the best, seeing alums who were students when I
started, returning with their own children, and some
taking leadership roles, serving as trustees on the same