Starpoint will remember Mary Louise Thompson with a memorial next to a playground full of the children she committed her life to.
The district will hold a memorial dedication honoring Mary Louise Thompson at 11 a.m. Saturday at Starpoint Intermediate School, 4363 Mapleton Road, Pendleton. A park bench and plaque inscription will be dedicated and become part of a special garden area near the new playground at the school. The event is open to the public.
The Starpoint Parents and Teachers Association released a statement Friday about the event that will highlight Thompson’s “lifelong commitment to Starpoint, its children and the community.” “She was a special lady,” said Candy Mast, a PTA member.
Mast said Thompson was the one who registered her as a new, 6-year-old student at Starpoint.
“She was involved in the PTA, and we used her for so many activities,” she added. “She was home.”
Thompson served as administration assistant to principals Gordon Biachi and Anthony Fricano, and was also the founder of the PTA at Starpoint. Thompson served 50 years with the PTA, including as president and the Niagara PTA district director. For all of her PTA work, Thompson earned many awards, including honorary life membership.
Thompson’s impact was felt even beyond the PTA. She created “The Spark,” a student literary publication for students in kindergarten through sixth grade. The PTA said Thompson even held a “secret reign” as a witch that led the children’s Halloween Parade for over 20 years. Thompson retired from her secretary job at Starpoint in 1986 after 31 years of service.
Mast said the memorial means a lot to the community because Starpoint is a community-based district.
“People love this school,” Mast said. “It’s a nice environment; it’s our own family.” The family theme is obvious, as Thompson’s great-grandchildren Jacob and Margaret Brown and Samuel and Max Ciepiela are enrolled at Starpoint.
After her passing in December 2006, Thompson’s three children and the Starpoint PTA collected donations toward a remembrance of their mother’s love of children. The children included son Thomas Thompson, and daughters Rebecca Wilson and Terry Ann Carbone, Lockport City schools superintendent.
“This is a very deserving memorial, and we are very happy of our mother’s commitment to children and the Starpoint Community,” Carbone said.
Local News
CEREMONY: Longtime district employee founded PTA.
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