Kirby Pines Retirement Community | The Pinecone

Jan entered Bessie Tift College for women in Forsyth, Georgia, majoring in English as well as Speech and Drama. Midway during her junior year, she transferred to the University of Tennessee (UT) in Knoxville. On a Christmas break in 1951, Jan returned to El Paso to visit relatives. She was excited to be wearing an engagement ring she had just acquired from “Mr. Georgia.” A former high school friend intervened and introduced Jan to “Mr. Right.” According to Jan, “After four days, I was ‘sunk’ and decided to return the ring.” After returning to Knoxville, she and her new love, Dudley Thomson, had a long distance romance with only a few weekends together before their wedding. They were married in 1952 as soon as Jan graduated from UT. The newly married couple’s first move was to NewYork for Dudley’s job on Wall Street. During their 47 years of marriage, they lived in 14 different cities due to Dudley’s auditing business. Jan and Dudley became parents to four children, Teri, Tim, Tobin, and Traci, all of whom have had successful lives and careers. The “Terrific T’s” have also blessed Jan with 12 grandchildren and 12 great grandchildren. Sadly, following a long illness, Dudley passed away in 1999. While living in Nashville, Tennessee, and with all the children in school, Jan decided to re-enter college for a master’s degree in Library Science at George Peabody College, a part of Vanderbilt University. Finally, the last move was to Memphis in 1962. Jan became employed by the Memphis School System, teaching classes for 28 years; retiring in 1999. Since moving to Memphis, Jan has been a member of the Presbyterian Church. Currently, she is a member of Germantown Presbyterian. Throughout all her moves, Jan has found a way to be involved in theater groups and organizing speech and drama with children and adults. In Memphis, she discovered church drama and has worked in that capacity for several years. Following retirement and the death of Dudley, Jan began to think of finding a place to live before her children were required to care for her. “My friend Mary Blanch Scott lived at Kirby Pines,” recalls Jan. “I visited and found a wonderful library, theater for movies, hand work, bridge, entertainment, wonderful people and staff. I saw here a way to combine all the things I love.” Jan and her church friends who live at Kirby have a strong bond and are affectionally known as “the Presbyterian Ladies.” The need to create seems to be embedded in the DNA of people, seemingly stronger in some more than others. When a creative surge is directed toward activities that will please or entertain others, it comes from the heart rather than a selfish endeavor. Such would describe Jan Thomson’s talent and creativity. Written by Joan Dodson, Resident of Kirby Pines The Pinecone | January 2025 • 7 • She was taken to Hollywood when she was five years old to audition for the movies. When told that “Shirley Temples were a dime a dozen,” she returned home but never lost her love of drama. Wherever she has lived, Jan Thomson has found ways to be involved in creative works. Following her move to Kirby Pines in 2015, Jan became involved in creating “off-Broadway” productions for the entertainment of others. Originally, she and several friends took “shows” to the medical areas of Kirby Pines. Eventually, she combined her creative ideas with the music of the Entertainers Chorus. Together, they are known as “Theatre in the Pines.” Jan has written and produced three versions of Broadway shows as well as three large Christmas programs. Her scripts sometimes involve as many as 20-30 actors along with the chorus. Marjorie Ann (Jan) Neely was born in a hospital in El Paso, Texas, in 1931. Her grandfather objected to her name, and it became Marjan and eventually Jan. Her family lived on a remote homestead ranch, along with other relatives, 87 miles from El Paso. According to Jan, Texas was still “wild and wooly” at that time, but life was good despite the depression the country was experiencing. “All of our supplies had to be transported over the 87 miles on a largely dirt road,” recalls Jan. “We had no electricity until 1945, and eventually one house acquired a telephone. But as children, we would grow up free and unsupervised.” School life was difficult after completion of the eighth grade in a one room school house. The nearest high school was in El Paso. One of the mothers on the ranch would rent an apartment in El Paso for Jan and her cousins to live in for them to attend school during the week. They would return to the ranch for week-ends and holidays. During the war years, Jan’s father was in Navy intelligence, and the family moved often, requiring a frequent change of schools. When the war was over, the family was living in a small town in Georgia. Due to a re-alignment in that school from 11 to 12 grades, and having just moved there, Jan became the only 12th grade student. That was a lucky break as she was declared valedictorian and was awarded a scholarship to college! BORN TO TAKE THE S TAGE Resident Spotlight: Marjorie "Jan" Thomson Jan At Age 4