Biographical Text
Professor Emeritus of Language, Reading, and Exceptionalities James Richard Tompkins received his B.A. degree, cum laude, from Mount St. Mary's College, Emmitsburg, Maryland, in 1959; his M.A. degree in guidance and counseling from Niagara, University, Niagara, New York, in 1961; and his Ph.D. degree in educational psychology from the Catholic University of America, Washington, District of Columbia, in 1971. Tompkins is a single parent of two sons and he has one granddaughter. His son Tim is director of business development at Grant Thornton in Raleigh, North Carolina. Another son, Mark, is a dentist in Cornelius, North Carolina. Mark and his wife Lesa have one daughter, Maura Estes Rose Tompkins. Appointed to the position by Governors Roberts "Bob" Scott and James Holshauser, Tompkins served as Executive Director of North Carolina's Advocacy Commission on Children and Youth from 1972-1974. In 1974, Tompkins became a faculty member at Appalachian State University; he served as associate professor in the Department of Special Education until 1976 and was acting chair for the department in 1975. From 1977 to 1989, Tompkins was a professor in the Department of Special Education and coordinator in the area of emotional disturbance. Then, from 1990 until his retirement, he was a professor in the department of Language, Reading, and Exceptionalities. Tompkins received numerous honors and awards -a total of forty-four during his tenure at Appalachian State University, including the following: Outstanding Teacher of the Year Award in 1980; the Creative Achievement Award, College of Education in 1995; the Richard T. Barker Friends of the University Award in 1998, 1999, 2002, and 2003; and the Recognition of Excellence in Supervision of Student Teachers Award in 2002. Dr. Tompkins is an outstanding scholar and a prolific writer. One of his text regarding child advocacy was published in Egypt in Arabic, and other examples of his scholarly work follow: • Calatta, R., J.R. Tompkins, and M. Werts. Fundamentals of Special Education: What Every Teacher Needs to Know. 2nd ed. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Merrill, 2003. • Tompkins, J. R., B. L. Brooks, and TJ. Tompkins. Commitment, Unity, self-reliance. Washington, D.C.: National Council of Negro Women, Inc., 2000. • Tompkins, J. R. "Milieu Therapy," Ed. D. Sabatino and B. Brooks. Contemporary Interdisciplinary Interventions for Children with Emotional/Behavioral Disorders. Durham, North Carolina: Carolina Academic Press, 1999. • Tompkins, J. R., B. L. Brooks, and T.J. Tompkins. Child Advocacy History, Theory, and Practice. Durham, North Carolina: Carolina Academic Press, 1998. As a result of his numerous publications, Dr. Tompkins has enjoyed a national reputation; throughout his career, he was a constant presenter of papers at institutes and conferences. His strong research background has been balanced with practical applications gained from his extensive experience with special populations, and he has an outstanding record of teaching, scholarship, and service. Sources: Appalachian State University files and personal correspondence. -Dr. Kay R. Dickson
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