Inducted: 2010
Born in Blackpool, England, near Rochdale, David Thompson grew up with co-op blood in his veins. Thompson has devoted his life to the cooperative movement in California, nationally and internationally. He has been a leader nationally at NCB where as the first co-op employee he helped set the bank up. At NCBA he led efforts to bring freedoms to cooperatives behind the Iron Curtain and legalize blacks joining cooperatives in South Africa. Thompson and his business partner, Luke Watkins, have developed 650 units of nonprofit, mutual and cooperative housing. Thompson is the author of Weavers of Dreams and a prolific writer on cooperatives. Thompson is currently President of the Twin Pines Cooperative Foundation. TPCF's innovative board has created Cooperative Community Funds for 30 U.S. cooperatives. In his cooperative activities he has been supported by his wife Ann Evans and their daughter Hatley.