FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 13, 2002
CONTACT
Allison Parker
206-733-5932
allisonp@wsba.org
Gig Harbor Lawyer Ronald E. Thompson Receives Local Hero Award
Seattle, Washington, February 13, 2002 — Ronald E. Thompson has received the Washington State Bar Association (WSBA) Local Hero Award in recognition of outstanding service to the residents of Pierce County. WSBA President Dale L. Carlisle presented the award at the Tacoma-Pierce County Bar Association’s 94th Annual Lincoln Day Banquet last week. The WSBA Local Hero Award is presented to lawyers who have made noteworthy contributions to their communities.
From 1960 to 1999, Mr. Thompson was a principal in the firm Thompson, Krilich, La Porte, West & Lockner PS. He is now a sole practitioner in Gig Harbor. Mr. Thompson is a life member of the Optimist Club of West Tacoma, and served as president of the Optimist International Foundation. During his term as international president of Optimist International, Mr. Thompson formed the NOW program to assist clubs in building memberships. He also initiated the Adopt-a-Neighborhood program which encouraged clubs to focus their programs on specific neighborhoods. For that, he received a Citation for Community Service from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. As chair of the Downtown Tacoma Association, he was instrumental in attracting a University of Washington branch campus. Mr. Thompson has been a member of the Tacoma-Pierce County Economic Development Board for 23 years, and has been a board member for the Tacoma Rescue Mission since 1988.
The Washington State Bar Association is a private, nonprofit organization authorized by the Washington Supreme Court to license the state’s 26,500 lawyers. The WSBA both regulates lawyers under the authority of the Court and serves its members as a professional association — all without public funding. As a regulatory agency, it administers the bar exam, provides record-keeping and licensing functions, and administers the lawyer discipline program. As a professional association, the WSBA provides continuing legal education for attorneys, in addition to numerous other educational and member service activities.
