MRS. CAMILLA PERKINS THOMPSON

EDUCATOR AND JACKSONVILLE HISTORIAN

Mrs. Camilla Perkins Thompson, a lifelong Jacksonville resident, is survived by her daughter, Muriel Thompson Watkins (Jay) of Potomac, Maryland; her son, Reginald D. Thompson of Jacksonville; her grandchildren, Tara Thompson and her children Christopher and Idris of Tallahassee; Nairobi Thompson (Nikita) of Jacksonville; and granddaughter, Jillian Watkins of North Bethesda, Maryland; and her sisters, Lavinia Mathis and Dannette Robinson of Jacksonville. Her husband, Capers M. Thompson, pre-deceased her, as did her oldest son, Michael Capers Ali, aka Capers Michael Thompson, Jr.

Mrs. Thompson was born on March 6, 1922 in Jacksonville, Florida.  Her father, Daniel Webster Perkins, was a prominent attorney in the State of Florida and her mother, Camilla (Bolton) Perkins, was a Jacksonville elementary school teacher.  Camilla Thompson and her two sisters, Lavenia and Dannette, grew up in the LaVilla neighborhood of Jacksonville.

Camilla Thompson attended Boylan-Haven School for Girls during her elementary and junior high school years and Stanton High School where she graduated in 1939. Her husband Capers was also a Stanton graduate, and attended Florida A&M prior to serving in the U.S. Army in World War II. Camilla received her B.S. degree in chemistry from Florida A&M University in 1943.

Camilla Thompson joined Duval County Public Schools in 1944 where she taught chemistry and physics at four Jacksonville junior and senior high schools: Abraham Lincoln Lewis Jr. High, Northwestern Jr. High, William Raines High and Andrew Jackson High School.

In 1974, she received her M.S. degree with a focus on the teaching of chemistry and physics from the University of North Florida.  From 1976 to 1981, she was an instructor of chemistry at Florida Community College. During this period she would become a member of the American Association of University Women.

Camilla was a member of numerous civic, social, and professional organizations, including the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority (AKA), of which she was a member for over 50 years and would be recognized as a Diamond Member.  She was active with the James Weldon Johnson Branch of the American Association of Life and History (ASALH). She was the recipient of the ASALH Living Legacy Award in 2013, awarded to her at ceremonies in Washington, D.C.

 Following her retirement, her lifelong passion for learning blossomed into an avocation as a significant local historian, chronicling the history of Jacksonville’s African- American community.  As Chairperson of the Black Historical Tour Committee, Thompson served as a principal figure in the Tour of Black Historical Sites in metropolitan Jacksonville, sponsored by the Gamma Rho Chapter of the AKAs. Over a ten-year period, between 1985 and 1995, Thompson wrote a weekly column called “Reflections on Black Jacksonville” for the Jacksonville Free Press. Her more than 500 articles covered people, places and events in Jacksonville’s black history and culture.

 She was a dedicated member of Bethel Baptist Church for over 80 years, where she displayed her love, compassion and humility with the church community.

A memorial service will be planned for the future. In light of Camilla’s distinguished career as a science educator with a commitment to the City of Jacksonville, the family encourages her friends and associates to make a gift to University of Florida (UF) Health Jacksonville.