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The City of LaGrange is considering renaming Linden Drive to recognize former cemetery caretaker Jimmy Thompson.

The proposed renaming came at the recommendation of local resident and current Troup County School Board Member Tripp Foster. Foster recommended that the city rename the road to honor Thompson, a former city employee who managed the city cemeteries for three decades.

When Foster initially approached the city, he asked that Bob Williams Drive be renamed for Thompson, which was potentially problematic, and then East Bacon Street, another option, was seen as even more problematic, based on the number of people who would have to change their mailing address with the United States Postal Service.

Ultimately, Linden Avenue was chosen as the potential street to accommodate the request, as it would not affect any mailing addresses. The city also checked with the Troup County Archives and was not able to locate any historical significance to the current name.

James Oscar Thompson Jr, also affectionately known as Jimmy Thompson, passed away on Nov. 11, 2019. Thompson served as caretaker of all eight cemeteries for the City of LaGrange for 35 years. Thompson started with the city as the Director of Cemeteries in 1969 and retired in 2004.

Foster spoke on behalf of the request and Thompson at the April 22 council meeting.

“Jimmy Thompson was sort of kind of a pastor, a minister to the people in this community. He didn’t have a title or an ordination as one, but he was like that. He dealt and ministered to so many grieving families, families that had great difficulty with finding loved ones graves, especially families that had moved away from the graves, that came back to visit and tried to find a loved one’s grave site,” Foster said, noting Thomspon did the same for him when he was young.

“Thompson did not even discriminate in his services. In fact, on July 29, 1988, unfortunately, we had a former LaGrange citizen that sat in Georgia’s electric chair, and Mr. Jimmy Thompson helped hold the service for him and have him buried right here in this cemetery,” Foster said.

In 1997, when the city temporarily closed the cemetery offices and moved to City Hall, Foster said there was such a great public outcry that then Mayor Gene Woodall decided to reopen the cemetery offices and move Thompson back from City Hall to the cemetery. 

“Thompson had a profound impact on this community, on many people who have moved on ahead and gone on before us,” Foster said. “Thompson was a true public servant and is and was loved by many.”

The name change will require an ordinance along with a first and second reading by the LaGrange City Council. The council unanimously voted to move forward with staff preparing the ordinance for a vote.