Flagrant Misconduct

By Eddie Thompkins III

Flagrant Misconduct is based on the true story of one of the greatest high school athletes you never heard of, narrated by his best friend and teammate. It takes place in the late 1970s against the backdrop of school desegregation. The author tastefully addresses the darker side of family relations, race relations, bullying, and the pursuit of absolute dominance in high school sports at any cost.

A special-needs high school phenom is on the way to his first wrestling state championship; the only obstacle standing in his way is one of the most successful high school wrestling coaches of all time from a rival school, his own father. This story also captures the budding friendship between two athletes from different cultural backgrounds. Their friendship, threatened by the unintended consequences of school busing, would change both of their lives forever. Meanwhile, father and son are on an emotional collision course as the father coaches against his own son in the state championship finals. Losing is not an option for either. For one, name recognition and legacy are at stake; for the other, his fathers respect and approval.

Who will win?

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: Aug 16, 2011
• ISBN: 9781463443351

Eddie Thompkins III

In 1975 when Eddie was 14, the Thompkins family moved to Bellwood, Illinois (School District 209). In early December 1976, Proviso Township High School District 209 was given until Christmas to come up with a desegregation program, in compliance with Illinois Office of Education (I0E) requirements. The State Board of Education directed District 209 to implement a plan to achieve racial balance (minimum of 15% minority population) within 2-3 years. If the school board resisted, the district would have been placed on probation and eventually would have lost its status as an accredited school district. According to a New York Times article, some felt the realignment threatened the homogeneity of the school environment. It was this time period 1975-1979 that shaped and influenced the way Eddie viewed life. During the sometimes tumultuous challenges he (and others) faced as a minority student at Proviso West, there was always a greater good that prevailed. This greater good manifested itself through his significant friendships with teammates, classmates and faculty staff , irrespective of race. Although some racial hesitance was experienced on both sides, athletics was a way for all to come together for a one common cause…to win. Organized sports required teammates to work together and along the way, preconceived ideations eventually gave way to personal experiences. This experience was echoed throughout his US Marine Corps career, one team, one fight. After retiring from the US Marine Corps, Eddie relocated to the United Kingdom where he lives with his wife Karen. In 2006, SSgt Eddie Thompkins IV (son) accepted orders on behalf of the US Air Force to the United Kingdom. Father and son are neighbors, living on the same English estate in Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire.

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© 2011 Eddie Thompkins III. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

First published by AuthorHouse 8/12/2011

ISBN: 978-1-4634-4334-4 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4634-4335-1 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2011913197

Printed in the United States of America

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models,

and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

This book is printed on acid-free paper.

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

This book is dedicated to my father, the late Reverend Dr. Eddie C. Thompkins Jr., and my mother, Ms. Brenda A. Lewis.

PREFACE

Flagrant Misconduct is based on the true story of one of the greatest high school athletes you never heard of, narrated by his best friend and teammate. It takes place in the late 1970s against the backdrop of school desegregation. The author tastefully addresses the darker side of family relations, race relations, bullying, and the pursuit of absolute dominance in high school sports at any cost.

Contents

Chapter 1 The Mailman Delivers

Chapter 2 Thirty-Year Westside Class Reunion

Chapter 3 Wall Of Fame

Chapter 4 We’Re Movin’ On Up (To Westside)

Chapter 5 Thinking Man’S Sport

Chapter 6 Don’T Say Goodnight

Chapter 7 Blessed Are The Children

Chapter 8 A Few Good Men

Chapter 9 Intruder Alert—State Of Emergency

Chapter 10 Stereotypes

Chapter 11 Heavy On My Mind

Chapter 12 1977 State Championships—Conflict Of Interest

Chapter 13 Coach’S Decision

Chapter 14 The Stone The Builders Rejected

Chapter 15 For Whom The Bell ‘Towles’

Chapter 16 The Mary Effect

Chapter 17 Homecoming 1978

Chapter 18 Semester Exams

Chapter 19 Suspicious Minds

Chapter 20 1978 State Championship—Sudden Death

Chapter 21 Final Exam

Chapter 22 Return To The Rock

Epilogue

Portrait Of A High School Sports Legend

Athletic Achievements

Hubert ‘Boo Boo’ Thompson’s Photo Gallery

Acknowledgments

My Dream Cast

About The Author

CHAPTER 1

THE MAILMAN DELIVERS

It was almost noon, and outside the weather was 99 degrees Fahrenheit in the shade; just another typical autumn day at Marine Corps Base, Camp Courtney on Okinawa, Japan. Lance Corporal Jones, the mail clerk, passed out the mail for the day.

Master Gunnery Sergeant Thompson, you’ve got mail! Jones shouted from across the office.

Anything from Headquarters Marine Corps? I responded. I had submitted my papers to retire just a few months ago, and it was stressful waiting for the word to come down.

Nope—sorry, Master Guns. No joy today.

Whoever said no news is good news lied to all of us! I said. Nonchalantly, I began sifting through the junk mail and bills. I found a letter from Parker Science Applications.

Jones, you are the man! It was a job offer to work in London, England! I had applied for a computer analyst position with the Department of Defense. All I needed now were my retirement papers. I had taken all my pre-separation classes, including a class on salary negotiations. I had paid very close attention to this class because I did not want to sell myself short. I asked all the right questions, did all the required reading, and even volunteered for a role-play in which I had to negotiate with a prospective employer in front of the class.

When the time came to put all my training into action, I took the first offer without batting an eye. But at least I had a job in the real world.

Also in the stack of mail was a reminder of my thirty-year high school reunion from Westside High School in a suburb just outside Los Angeles, California. I started to feel old; most of the troops under me weren’t even born when I enlisted back in 1978. Whenever we ran for physical training, I was always in the rear trying to motivate the slower youngsters to keep up. No one but me knew that I was running as fast as I could. Yeah, it was time to call it a career.

As soon as I got off duty, I went straight over to visit one of my closest Marine buddies, Warrant Officer Yasmin Mike. She lived on Marine Corps Base Camp Foster, about a thirty-minute drive away. I knocked on her door holding the offer letter firmly in my hand. When she opened the door, I stood there pointing to the paper in my hand with a big smile on my face. I could tell she had just gotten off work because she was still in her camouflage utilities. She looked puzzled because she didn’t know what I was pointing to.

It’s my offer letter from Parker Science Applications. I got a job in England!

"I can’t believe you’re finally leaving the Rock![1] You’d better keep in touch and write us!"

Of course I will, and I expect you guys to come visit! I said with a grin. She invited me in, and I sat on her black leather couch.

Where’s Richard and the boys? I said.

Richard got stuck on bus monitor duty this week, so he’ll be late. The boys are at the teen center. We both started feeling nostalgic as we realized that our families would be separated permanently. We reminisced about all the card games we had played until three a.m. Our favorite card game was Bid Whist, and we were almost unbeatable on the island.

I also mentioned that I would be going to my thirtieth high school reunion and would need someone to watch Clay Jr. She smiled and gladly agreed.

How much do I owe you? It will only be for one week.

The same as last time, she said.

Naw, I gotta give you something this time.

Just make sure Clay Jr. has some spending money so he and the boys can do their thing.

Although I was happy to finally punch out of the Corps, I was sad to leave the Mike family. We had been stationed at the same duty assignments for the last twenty years. Her three boys and my one were just like brothers. I cared for Yasmin in a sisterly way, and she was always there for me. As a single parent, I really appreciated that she looked after Clay Jr. whenever I deployed or went on assignment.

It was odd knowing that I was going to be a place where I would be a complete stranger. After one had been in the Corps for a while, it was uncommon to take a posting without knowing at least someone from a past duty station who would be there. But I had been offered a job on a US Air Force base in England, and there were only a handful of Marines there. I told Yasmin that after being stationed in some of the garden spots of the world, like the Mojave Desert and Mogadishu, Somalia, I was thrilled to find a job in Europe of all places.

For about the next fifteen minutes, we chatted about her degree program; she was pursuing her Master’s in Business Administration. We had both come a long way since the old days at Marine Corps Station El Toro, California back in the eighties. I told her I had better get going because I still needed to break the news to my son. As I was leaving, I saw her husband Richard getting out of his car. He looked exhausted—I guess it was from dealing with all those screaming teenagers on the bus. As I drove off, they both waved from their front door.

I was so preoccupied on the way home that I didn’t even notice the stench of the pig farm I passed on the way back to Camp Courtney. It was around five-thirty, and the traffic was pretty congested. It took me twice as long to get home, but that didn’t even faze me. As I entered the base, the military police pulled me over for a random security inspection (the third time that week). Normally, I would have been livid, because it never seems random when you are pulled over; it always seems personal. This time, I was extremely polite and chatty. The whole time, I was thinking, Not much longer. The guard cleared me and waved me through onto the base. I saw Clay Jr.’s bike locked up outside, so I knew he was home.

When I entered the house, I saw my son in front of the PlayStation with his headphones on. He looked up and asked, What’s for dinner? I’m starving.