Mickey Starling
reporter3@greenepublishing.com
Thelma Thompson’s road to Lee is a long and winding adventure that began in her native Monticello, Ill., where she was born in 1919. After her parent’s marriage failed, she and her mother moved to Georgia, where her mother met Bob Bembry while working in an orange grove.
They soon married and became sharecroppers in Lee, where young Thelma graduated from Lee Junior High School in 1934. After graduating from Madison High School, Thompson planned on becoming a teacher. Those plans changed when she met and married Walter “Dice” Driggers, known to the locals as the “Tarzan of the Withlacoochee.”
Their vine-swinging days lasted for 20 years before divorcing. Now the mother of eight children, Thompson married again and divorced nine years later.
At 51, Thompson returned to school, earning her A.A. degree from North Florida Junior College in swift order, completing her degree in a year and a half, while excelling academically. Her impressive grades landed her a scholarship to the University of North Florida, in Jacksonville, Fla. Again, her skills, especially in writing, proved highly valuable. Thompson was tasked with editing everything that was published by the Dean of Arts and Sciences.
After graduating, Thompson taught creative writing at Jacksonville Junior College on a six-months grant that wasn’t renewed. Finding employment in her desired field proved to be difficult, as most employers wanted younger applicants. Eventually, Thompson landed a job as an admitting officer at Memorial Hospital, in Jacksonville, where she remained until retirement at the age of 65.
She returned to her beloved town of Lee in 1984, describing herself as “a fish out of water.” She shared few interests with the locals and found no suitable companion, since all the men interested in her were married. However, all of this free time birthed a great idea for Thompson to pursue.
It dawned on Thompson that Lee was the only community in Madison County that had no library or annual festival, and she set out to make the little town of Lee truly proud. After six months of bringing the idea before the Lee Town Council, they agreed to support her vision, with the minor condition that she would have to find her own funding, which she happily agreed to without having a clue where the money was coming from.
The townsfolk were thrilled with the prospect of a festival and quickly supplied $1,200 to make it happen. Soon, everything was in place and Lee enjoyed their first festival. A large crowd eagerly attended the event, which continues today.
As for the library, a local resident provided a small building, while others provided shelves, carpet and paint for the project. Books poured in quickly, with a bookstore owner contributing 500 books, and Thompson added 500 of her own. Storage space for the incoming books was provided by the Madison Enterprise-Recorder, which Thompson wrote columns for on a regular basis. Soon, she and a volunteer were serving as temporary librarians.
The library grew quickly and soon became part of the Suwannee River Regional Library system. Today, the Lee Public Library has come a long way from its humble beginnings, now residing at 7783 E U.S. Hwy. 90, in Lee, in a modern facility that provides numerous services to the community. They offer a food bank and occasional health screenings, children’s programs and much more, all thanks to a woman who was determined to improve and enhance her community. Thelma Thompson’s determination and persistence have left a lasting legacy of love for the residents of Lee that will always make them proud when they remember her.
Thompson passed away in 2013, after serving on the Lee Town Council for 15 years as well as filling many other important roles in Lee and throughout Madison County.