Posts from: May 2024

Philip Mappin, one of Bill Thomson’s best friends met at George Washington University, USA shared this very heartfelt, sentimental book review of Bill’s book that he never finished because he passed away unexpectedly!! Jeannette, Bill’s wife successfully finished and published the book called ‘A SHARED MEMOIR OF LOVE AND ADVENTURE.’ Below is Philip’s review: This biography is a wonderful and readable story of what can be achieved with hard work and using your feet, both literally and figuratively! Opportunity often means leaving the safety of your comfort zone and taking a chance and doing new things in new places. This book, Bill Thomson’s life story, begun by himself and completed by his family and friends is testament to his amazingly inquisitive nature and his adaptability. Bill’s life was full of adventure, love, big business and finance. After graduating from Manchester University in England with a First Class Honours Degree in Mathematics, Bill was recruited by Boeing in Seattle and worked on the U.S. Space Program in the 1960s. Bill was always a numbers man and loved the financial markets, and so after Boeing he tried his hand, first as a stock broker and then as a banker with the U.S. Treasury. He rose through the ranks and became the head US representative at the Asian Development Bank (ADB) in Manila. Later Bill became one of the prominent vice presidents of ADB. Along the way there was education, love, children, hard work and travel around the world. There were of course setbacks and hiccups for him and his family, the things that many of us experience in our own lives. This is an honest biography, warts and all, but what shines through it all, is Bill’s optimism, sense of humour and perseverance. Bill was supported throughout it all by the love of his wife Jeannette, and his family all of whom share their own experiences and reminiscences along with lots of photographs in this book. There are also numerous anecdotes from his many friends and work mates. This narrative is a tribute to a life well lived and to Bill’s indomitable spirit. I was privileged to be asked to contribute a few stories of my own about Bill, which you will find in this book. I was very fortunate to have met him and my life would have been very different had our paths not crossed. So why should you read this biography? Firstly, its entertaining and a good read. Its story takes you on a magic carpet ride from England to America, Africa and Asia and dozens of locales in between. It begins with World War II and doesn’t end till 2022. Secondly, the book is inspirational. In reading it, if you are lucky, a little bit of Bill’s “joie de vivre”, wanderlust and lifestyle will rub off on you! Fortune favours the brave, and Bill was brave and blazed a trail. He is worth following and reading about. He is a worthy mentor.

Blog 29 May 24