Son of ex-mayor dies

Jack Thompson, who spent his career helping the disabled at the New Jersey Department of Human Services, passed away on November 7 after a brief illness.  He was 70.

Thompson’s career included managing the Woodbine Developmental Center, where he helped men with developmental disabilities, and then as the southern regional manager for the state Commission for the Blind and Visually Impaired.

His father, John Thompson, was a rising star in Camden County politics when he died of a heart attack at age 46 in 1955, leaving behind his wife and eight-year-old son.   John Thompson was elected mayor of Gibbsboro in 1948 after serving 12 years on the borough council.