Kim Thompson:
CLASS OF 1985
Forest Park High SchoolClass of 1985
Forest park, GA
Clayton College & State University Class of 2000
Morrow, GA
Clayton Christian High SchoolClass of 1985
Morrow, GA
Kim's Story
Life
No matter where you go, there you are. I married Chris Thompson in 1995 with two wonderful boys. We've had so much fun and so many blessings. I can't believe how fast time passes.
Unfortunately, my mom died in 2001, and that was (and is) really hard because she was my best friend, and all my friends liked her. She did so much for so many people.
My dad is now 87 and doing well. I take care of him. He is so funny and has so many interesting stories about growing up in the mountains, fighting in the Great War, coal mining, etc. The disease most rampant with the elderly is lonliness. Please make time to visit and listen to an elderly person. You'll learn something and contribute to thier lives!
Oh, and I'm a grandma. Yea, I'm a young grandma! Wyatt Thompson was born in October, 2007. What a great kid! His first word was "meow." ha ha
As for my life overall - I like where I've been, would only change a few hundred things. :) I am forever thankful to God for all the blessing he has given me. God is good always! Pray for those that are lost.
School
I was really painfully shy in school, and introverted. I loved going to Clayton Christian, being in choir. The teachers were great - especially Mr. Bennett in 5th grade. I have nothing but wonderful memories. Learning life lessons, going roller skating, going on the trip to Opryland, dressing out for P.E., more than I can list here. I started going to Forest Park Sr. High in 10th grade. I really enjoyed most of my classes, especially art with Ms. Doughtery and ROTC. I did not enjoy math - sorry its not my thing and I still use very little of it! I played piano and bass guitar, but didn't get into a band until after high school. I was in numerous "garage bands" but never thought I'd make a career out of it. I still sing in the church choir and play guitar ocassionally as a hobby. My kids wanted nothing to do with music, and I'm kinda saddened by that. UPDATE! My youngest, Joseph, now 18, bought a guitar and is learning to play! Hooray! AND no prompting from me, he did it on his own.
College
I started at Clayton Junior College and hung around until it became a 4-year college! ha ha. My parents couldn't afford to send me to college, so I went to school part time and worked at McDonald's Southlake. I got a "day job" at NEC in McDonough in '87 so I became a non-traditional student working all day and taking a couple classes in the evening. I got my Associate's degree in 1990, while working one full-time and one part-time job. Because of my degree, I got a promotion into Human Resources. I made a mistake and took a couple years off from school, but the started going again in 1992. I worked two jobs again and continued college. I finally got my bachelor's degree in 2000. In 2003 I took a prep course at Clayton, took the exam, and passed for my PHR (certification as a Professional Human Resources) issued by SHRM (Society for HR Management) I am currently working on my HR master's degree. Remember how I was shy in school, well, college made me take a speech class. I hated it. I didn't think I'd ever need it. I was wrong. I wound up speaking in front of lots of people all...Expand for more
the time. That class was one of many things helped me overcome my fear of public speaking.
Workplace
My first job was McDonald's at Southlake. That was FUN! My first day on the job was horrific. The lobby was full of customers at breakfast. But my manager Phil helped me through it. Being shy in public is difficult! Yet, it was the beginning of being over my shyness thanks to Robert Colkitt making me yell out grill orders. After work on Fri and Sat, I'd hang out with friends at the midnight movie and RHPS. One day my friend James asked for a ride to McDonough because NEC was hiring. He told me to fill out an application. I said, why would I want to work way down here? Well, I got the job and he didn't. I worked as an assembler building laptop computers, then wiring televisions. I got promoted twice within 3 years, to Sr. Assembler then APC, adjusting computer monitors. I earned my associates degree and won a bid on the HR Assistant job. here's where my speech class paid off. I had to go to Japan and give a speech! As the years went by, I had to give many presentations at all levels, and being in HR, I had to be outgoing. I am nothing like I was in school! I was promoted to HR Administrator in 1995, the HR Representative in 1998. They relocated production to Mexico, and all but 11 people in Car Electronics lost their job, including me. I took a couple months off and traveled with Mom. The remaining division of Car Electronics won contract with General Motors and needed to grow. So I was rehired as HR Specialist, hiring over 100 people within 3 years. I was the sole HR manager for Atlanta and the Detroit office. During my time at NEC (then the new name Elesys) I traveled on business (and fun) to Japan, Germany, Amsterdam, Chicago, Boston, San Francisco, and Sacramento. I loved my company and all the people that worked there. The office relocated in April so I took a layoff. After working at Delta a few months, then at Behr paints (NOT a pleasant experience!), I am now the HR Manager at GENCO. I really love these folks and hope to be there for many years to come. (I also hope I don't jinx this by posting it! Last time I posted about a job, I lost it! ha ha)
Military
I was not in the military, but I wanted to take opportunity to use this space to brag about my dad! He is now 87 years old and a WWII Navy veteran. He was in the European theatre, traveling to England, France, Italy, Sicily, and Egypt. He was a 2nd gunner and was at the battle of Normandy. He survived, but was later wounded, and given the purple heart. He was in the same hospital that Patton slapped the soldier. Patton had spoken to my dad briefly before that incident ocurred. Dad's ship was in the Panama Canal when "Harry Truman saved his life." His greatest moment of the war was seeing the Golden Gate bridge as the first leg of his journey home. He went home to Virginia, married my mom, and soon was born my sister and brother. He was a coal miner, but there were so many strikes, they moved to Atlanta for work in 1964, then a few years later I was born. I had a wonderful childhood growing up with two of the most loving parents a kid could hope to have.
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