Hilton "Tommy" Thompson
| Date and Place of Birth: | May 13, 1923 Durham, NC |
| Date and Place of Death: | May 19, 1945 Pensacola, FL |
| Baseball Experience: | Semi-Pro |
| Position: | Outfield |
| Rank: | Ensign |
| Military Unit: | US Navy |
| Area Served: | United States |
Hilton D. "Tommy" Thompson was born in Durham, North Carolina, on May
13, 1923. He moved
to Camden, New Jersey in his teens, and then to Lowell, Massachusetts, during the war to work in the wartime industry
and soon began playing baseball with Lincoln in the Lowell Twilight
League.
Thompson was the team's leftfielder and, under manager George Cowgill,
helped the team win the league championship in 1944.
"He became popular with his teammates," wrote the Lowell Sun on July 6,
1945, "his 'Jersey accent' and warm good-fellow spirit and attitude in
all situations marking him from the outset as a lad whose company was
constantly sought by his new friends, wherever their recreation time
took them."
Thompson joined the Navy after the 1944 baseball season and trained to
be a pilot. Achieving the rank of Ensign, he was tragically killed
in a plane crash at Pensacola, Florida on May 19, 1945, six days after
his 22nd birthday.
In July 1945, the Lowell Twilight League opened its second-half schedule
with a memorial service to Ensign Thompson before the game between
his old team Lincoln, and top rivals McAndrews.
Hilton Thompson is buried at the Maplewood Cemetery in Durham, North Carolina.
Date Added July 22, 2012. Updated August 5, 2017
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