Centralight

Giving "It was never about me," says Thompson, who rallied together his business colleagues and associates in the Washington, D.C., area to pledge $1.2 million for the CMU Events Center. "It was about Dick Parfi tt, Gins (Dave Ginsberg), Kathy McGee, Jack Pratt, and all the other coaches and players at CMU who made a diff erence in my life and the lives of others." The gift from Thompson and his colleagues supports the naming of the Events Center's Dick Parfi tt Gymnasium – a varsity team practice space – in honor of the coach he had when he played for the Chippewas from 1980 through 1983, leading the team in rebounds in the 1982-83 season. "Dick Parfi tt was very instrumental in my life," Thompson says. "He genuinely loves and represents Central Michigan University." He says his approach to life and his giving nature are grounded in his Catholic faith and involvement with the Knights of Columbus. Through the years Thompson has supported the charitable interests of his colleagues and business associates. They now are returning the favors through their pledges to CMU. "They've said, 'You've done a lot for people, now how can we help?'" Thompson says. "It's humbling," Still today, more than 30 years since he fi rst arrived on campus, Thompson feels extreme loyalty to CMU. As a student he joined the Phi Beta Sigma fraternity and majored in interpersonal communications, citing Richard Allen – the longtime voice of the Marching Chippewas – as his favorite professor. "It was the most exciting time of my early life," says Thompson, who serves on the CMU Alumni Development Board. "It certainly has aff orded me opportunities – not that I was a great student, but I was always learning while I was there." Thompson left CMU one class short of graduation to play professional basketball in Europe. He played for six years with teams in Sweden, Ireland, Argentina and Mexico, among other countries. Though he values his time playing professionally, Thompson says his education was an incomplete part of his life before he enrolled in CMU's Off -Campus Programs in Alexandria. He fi nished his bachelor's degree in community development with an emphasis in recreation in 2004. But Thompson's connections to CMU go beyond playing for Parfi tt, dating back more than three decades to when he was a student at Powers Catholic High School in Flint, Mich. Kim Thompson, '04, right, with Dick and Pat Parfi tt at the Events Center grand opening reception held in the Dick Parfi tt Gymnasium. Parfi tt, '53, who spent 14 seasons as CMU's head basketball coach and has the second-most wins in program history, is humbled that former players such as Thompson contributed toward the Events Center in his name. "It might be my name on the gym, but when I go there, it's their faces I see," Parfi tt says. "It's nice to see them all give back to CMU because that says they had a good experience on the court and in the classroom when they were here." In addition to Parfi tt, Thompson credits many people – including CMU alumnus and his high school basketball coach Jack Pratt – for taking the extra time to guide him. But he says the people who deserve the most credit for leading him always will be his parents, Ruth and Matt, who raised him and his nine siblings on Flint's north side. "My mother and father are the two most important role models," he says. Thompson is CEO of The TraMar Group, a convention management and technology services company based in Alexandria, Va., that he founded in 1995 after sales jobs with Continental Airlines, Hyatt Hotels and AT&T. At that time Kathy McGee, currently CMU's assistant women's basketball coach, was Thompson's high school speech teacher. And it was at Powers where former CMU assistant men's coach Dave Ginsberg saw Thompson play in 1980 and recruited him to play at CMU. McGee, '73 MA '86, says she remembers regularly seeing Thompson playing basketball in the Powers gym, but she smiles each time she recalls something he did for a demonstration speech in her class. "It surprised me when he didn't do something with a basketball. Instead, he brought in his saxophone and did a demonstration on how to play that," McGee says. "You like to see your students do well, and you like to see them succeed," she says. "Kim is a great role model, and I hope other athletes pay attention to what he did for his university." Ginsberg, '68, says he saw great potential in Thompson as a player and as a person. Thompson giving to the university is a testament to his appreciation for what CMU did to encourage his development, Ginsberg says. "He feels he grew up on this campus and saw what it takes to make something good out of something tough," says Ginsberg, who still talks with Thompson every month. "In many ways it's a way of thanking the people who took time for him." • centralight spring '11 25 PHOTOS BY PEGGY BRISBANE

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