[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 71 (Monday, May 20, 1996)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5392-S5393]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             THE MOST REVEREND DAVID B. THOMPSON; A TRIBUTE

 Mr. HOLLINGS. Mr. President, I would like to take a moment to 
pay tribute to a revered and respected community figure, a gifted 
teacher and a good friend. This week, Bishop David B. Thompson 
celebrates three anniversaries at once: that of his birth, May 29, 
1923; his priestly ordination May 27, 1950, and his episcopal 
ordination May 24, 1989. It is a truly significant week of the year for 
him, the Diocese of Charleston, his family and friends.
  Bishop Thompson was born in Philadelphia to David B. and Catharine A. 
Thompson. He has two siblings: a sister, Elizabeth Jane Hutton and a 
twin brother, also a priest, The Reverend Monsignor Edward J. Thompson, 
who is retired. The Bishop's studies for the priesthood began 
immediately after he graduated from High School. He attended St. 
Charles Borromeo Seminary, Overbrook, PA, where he earned a bachelor of 
arts and a master of arts degree in history.
  He earned a licentiate in canon law (J.C.L.) from the Catholic 
University of America while serving as an assistant pastor at Our Lady 
of Pompeii over the summers of 1951 and 1952. In September 1952 he was 
appointed a professor at St. Thomas Moore High School in Philadelphia. 
He continued to take courses through Villanova University. The Bishop 
also served the school as a guidance counselor.
  In 1957, Monsignor Thompson was named the founding principal of Notre 
Dame High School in Easton, PA, where he served for 4 years. During 
that time, he made a name for himself, or rather, the students made a 
name for him. The students had expressed to Bishop Thompson the need 
for a similar social outlet to American Bandstand. He responded by 
establishing a Notre Dame Bandstand and hiring Gene Kaye, a disc jockey 
from Allentown. Mr. Kaye helped to make it a nationally known event; he 
also gave Bishop Thompson the name ``Father Bandstand.'' Among the 
people to appear on stage at Notre Dame were Frankie Avalon, Chubby 
Checker, Connie Frances, Fabian, Annette Funicello, and Brenda Lee. 
When Paul Anka performed in the summer of 1960, more than 2,300 
teenagers were there to hear him.
  In January 1961, the Diocese of Allentown was created by Pope John 
XXIII. Monsignor Thompson was named the first chancellor of the new 
diocese and served as the moderator of an $11 million educational 
building campaign. For 22 years, he would serve in the capacity of 
Vicar General. In 1967 he was named the pastor of Immaculate Conception 
Church, the oldest Catholic Church in Allentown. Over the years, he was 
given tremendous and varied responsibilities within the diocese, and he 
brought to each new challenge the wisdom and energy which has become 
his trademark. He served as the pastor of the Allentown Cathedral 
Church of St. Catherine of Siena from 1975 to 1989.
  In 1989, Pope John Paul II appointed Bishop Thompson the 11th Bishop 
of Charleston. He succeeded Bishop Ernest L. Unterkoefler upon his 
retirement in February 1990. Of the numerous accomplishments in Bishop 
Thompson's life, from his educational achievements to his high honors 
within the church, it is the effect he has on individuals as he carries 
out his life's work that truly sets him apart. During the years of his 
incumbency, Bishop Thompson has traveled thousands of miles to visit 
every parish and mission in his diocese, which encompasses the entire 
State of South Carolina. He has reinvigorated the Diocese of 
Charleston, vocations have increased 400 percent, and in 1994 alone 
there were over 30 building projects in the 114 parishes and missions. 
He has set parochial education standards that have improved the quality 
of diocesan schools throughout South Carolina, and he has encouraged 
youth participation in the life of the church. He has given so much of 
himself to the State, being active in local events, and a constant 
presence.
  On every level, from local to national, Bishop Thompson has been a 
tireless champion of Christian values and humanism. He has been awarded 
the Tree of Life Award, the Jewish National Fund's highest honor, for 
his efforts on behalf of interfaith harmony. Under his leadership, the 
diocese sponsored the Palmetto Project Community

[[Page S5393]]

Relations Forum, an effort to erase racism through friendship. And he 
continues to inspire every individual and group with whom he comes into 
contact.
  I am truly honored to know this man, and, along with my wife Peatsy, 
I wish him a joyous anniversary celebration.

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