News and Progress
Thompsons call $8.5 million gift an "investment" to support autism center at MU
When William and Nancy Thompson learned about MU's strength in autism research, they saw a worthy cause and a sound investment.
April 28, 2005
At an April 29 event in the Jesse Hall rotunda, William S. Thompson Jr., co-chair of the For All We Call Mizzou national campaign steering committee, stood before an audience of faculty, staff, students, alumni and family members of children with autism to talk about why he and his wife, Nancy, chose to give the University $8.5 million to establish the Thompson Family Center for Autism and Neurodevelopmental Disorders. In the no-nonsense manner of a ceo, Thompson made it clear that he expects results.
“Our charge to MU is to make a difference in the study of autism — make a difference for the children with autism today, make a difference for their families and make a difference for the future, so that when a child is diagnosed with autism, his or her family has well-founded hope,” Thompson said.
Born and raised in Affton, Mo., Thompson majored in civil engineering at MU and Nancy, his high school sweetheart, attended the College of Home Economics, now the College of Human Environmental Sciences. During his time at MU, Thompson excelled as a student and a leader. He was a member of the Mystical Seven and Omicron Delta Kappa, president of the Alpha Tau Omega fraternity, Homecoming chair, president of the Missouri Students Association and a part-time recruiter for the MU Alumni Association. After graduating in 1968, he earned a master's in business administration from Harvard, served as the youngest member of the University of Missouri Board of Curators at age 27, and embarked on a stellar career in investment management. He is now the CEO of PIMCO in Newport Beach, Calif. PIMCO is recognized as the world's leading fixed-income investment management firm. Thompson's career has taken him across the country and around the world, but he says Mizzou has never been far from his mind.
I look at this as an investment, not a gift”
“I have put a lot of myself into the University over the years, so I have a soft spot for MU,” Thompson says. “I also recruit people from top universities, so I have a broader interest in higher education. I've always felt that the University of Missouri is a first-class institution with the teaching and research capabilities to be a national player. We ought to be able to dial up our visibility in the community and the world we serve.”
As For All We Call Mizzou national co-chair, Thompson has helped drive the largest comprehensive campaign in University history. He says that when he began to consider his own gift, like any responsible investor, he did his research. He found that MU faculty on different parts of campus were focusing their efforts on autism, and he realized that by bringing these experts together, he could help them produce dramatic results.
“Writing the check is the easy part,” Thompson says. “It’s the professionals at the University who will make the real difference.”