The retired administrator credited with greatly expanding the depth and breadth of Mississippi State's international reputation in forest resource education and research will be honored Nov. 2 by the university.
In public ceremonies, the institution where he served from 1964 to 1994 will officially name its new College of Forest Resources building for Dean Emeritus Warren S. Thompson.
The dedication program begins at 10:30 a.m in the building's Tulley Auditorium.
Joining President Donald Zacharias as featured speakers will be former Lt. Gov. Brad Dye of Jackson and Bryce Griffis of Starkville, a former state College Board member and veteran lumber company executive. Current College Board members also have been invited.
In addition to service as forest resources dean, Thompson led the Forest Products Research Laboratory and Forest and Wildlife Research Center. Before retiring, the professor of wood science and technology also held the top faculty rank of Giles Distinguished Professor.
Thompson was raised in Crystal Springs, where he graduated from high school in 1947.
"Dean Thompson's manifold contributions span more than 30 years," said current Dean John E. Gunter. "This honor is a fitting tribute."
Among Thompson's accomplishments cited by Gunter were:
The development--"literally from the ground up"--of the Forest Products Lab,
Long service as a wood science professor and director of the Forest Products Lab, through which he helped build an internationally acclaimed forest products research program,
Administration, with distinction, of the former School of Forest Resources, and
Recognition as one of America's "outstanding leaders in science and education in the field of forest resources management and utilization."
Thompson, who worked for the Masonite Corp. and taught at Louisiana State University before joining the Mississippi State faculty, holds a doctorate from North Carolina State University. He earned bachelor's and master's degrees from Auburn University.
An authority on wood preservation, he has served as a consultant for the U.S. Justice Department and the Environmental Protection Agency, among others.
Thompson holds many career honors, among which are his selection as a Fellow of the Society of American Foresters and as a distinguished alumnus of Auburn and North Carolina State.
The building that will bear Thompson's name was built in two phases: the 63,000 square-foot Phase I was completed in 1992 at a cost of $7.8 million, while the $1.9 million second phase added more than 20,000 square feet when it opened the following year.
Construction of the three-story structure was completed through a combination of state and federal support, private gifts and self-generated university funds.
For additional information on the dedication ceremony, telephone Gunter at (601) 325-2952.