Bio
Inducted 2016
baseball (class of 1977)
Going to college changed Rufus Thompson's life. Once through that door, he helped young people find their path to an education.
In fact, he recommends his path. "I have always encouraged every youngster interested to attend community college first and the next words out of my mouth are that Chaffey is an outstanding school and when on the proper course, classes taken there will transfer easily to any university," Thompson said.
Thompson attended Chaffey because it was a place to play baseball and study architecture. He moved on to Cal Poly Pomona and played in the minor league for the Minnesota Twins before coming back to CPP to focus on education.
Thompson worked as a teacher and coach for the Mountain View School District for 30 years. He also authored the book, "Yes, You Can!: Advice for Teachers Who Want a Great Start and a Great Finish with Their Students of Color." His mission was to see students succeed and the results came years later when he'd see the same students thanking him for being a model for them.
He credits his success to his time at Chaffey.
"It was essential to my future success in college," Thompson said. "My main goal was to play professional baseball. Coach Howard Lowder provided me that opportunity by providing a competitive environment both on the team and against opponents. He taught me the game of baseball beyond the performance level."
This path he took has him "living the American dream," he said. The path also led him to meet his wife of more than 30 years, Gail, at CPP. Together they have three children: Nafissa, NChe' and Stephen, and two grandchildren, Isaiah and Iveren.
"They are the best family on the planet," Thompson said.