Thomas "Tommy" Lawson Thompson, a native of Georgia who found his calling as a Thoroughbred bloodstock agent in Kentucky, died at his home in Lexington May 23. He was 62.
Before his entry into the Thoroughbred industry, Thompson served as city manager of Gasper, Ga., where he spearheaded a Special Olympics program and worked to build a local mental health facility.
His love of horses would soon win out over other career paths, however. His initial forays into racing and trading bloodstock began back in his home state of Georgia, where he was involved in the Quarter Horse industry. But Kentucky was where he longed to be, and in the mid-1980s, he moved to the Bluegrass, settling in Lexington.
One of his early connections in the Thoroughbred industry in Kentucky was Buck Pond Farm near Versailles, Ky. Eventually, Thompson would help promote Buck Pond's stallions Bernstein and Doneraile Court.
Primarily, however, he worked independently or in partnerships with friends, trading bloodstock in the U.S. and on occasion in South America. Thompson also branched out in the industry, operating a small horse transport company for a time.
He had a deep appreciation of the history of the sport and the breed. He had found his home in Kentucky and his calling in racing. Often he would tell others he "lived in heaven and worked in paradise."
Thompson is survived by his sister, Karen Coleman; and nieces and nephews, Clint Johnson, Patrick Thompson, Ben Thompson, Traci Faulk, and Julie Webb.