Former USC Law Prof. Thompson dies

Robert S. Thompson also served on Calif. Court of Appeal Former USC Law Professor Robert S. Thompson, remembered by faculty members as a supportive colleague and mentor, died Oct. 2 after a short illness. After graduating in 1942 from USC Law, where he served as editor-in-chief of the Southern California Law Review, Thompson served in the Army Air Force for four years, then entered private practice. In 1965, he was appointed to the Los Angeles Municipal Court, where he served for one year. He then served two years in Los Angeles Superior Court before being appointed to the California Court of Appeal, where he served until 1979, when he joined USC Law. Thompson taught at the law school for 11 years and wrote the textbook Remedies: Damages, Equity and Restitution. He retired in 1990. Associate Dean Robert M. Saltzman fondly remembers the man who mentored him during his first year of teaching nearly 30 years ago. “I made plenty of mistakes that first year, but happily I remember clearly Bob’s calm responses when I had handled an issue or an incident in a manner that needed improvement,” Saltzman says. “Fortunately for me, Bob was also quite accomplished at hiding his astonishment on those occasions when he realized the depth of my lack of understanding of a breadth of legal concepts and theories that were second-nature to him. “I have been fortunate over the years to have several patient and excellent colleague-mentors; Bob was extraordinary in that role—and I benefitted greatly from his time, counsel and his efforts on my behalf.” To read the Los Angeles Times obituary of Prof. Thompson, click here.