Wayne Thompson, a versatile journalist whose newspaper career spanned five decades, died Sunday in Portland.



He was 79.



Thompson worked at The Oregonian from 1964 to 2001. He covered subjects as diverse as professional basketball, politics, energy and home electronics.



He spent the last half of his career at The Oregonian as an associate editor and member of the newspaper's editorial board.



"He was so smart," said Jeff Wohler, former sports editor of The Oregonian. "I never asked Wayne a question and failed to get an answer. You would get the essay answer. But I always learned something."



Jack Ohman, former editorial cartoonist for The Oregonian, remembered Thompson as an invaluable pre-internet resource.



Thompson had covered Robert F. Kennedy's 1968 presidential campaign and knew Oregon's governors and members of the state's congregational delegation by their first names.



"He was just totally networked in," Ohman said. "If you went to Wayne with a question, you would not only get the question answered, you would get it footnoted."



Ohman remembered how then-Arkansas Gov. Bill Clinton's meeting with The Oregonian editorial board turned into a discussion between Thompson and Clinton about the best reeds to use in a saxophone.



"It was such a vintage Wayne moment," Ohman said. "Clinton loved the guy."



Ohman said that associate editor Thompson became nationally known for his expertise about the Bonneville Power Administration and salmon.



Before writing editorials, Thompson detoured through Sports.



He was The Oregonian's beat writer for the Portland Trail Blazers for the first three seasons of their existence, beginning in 1970.



He had been a general assignment news reporter before covering the Blazers.



As he later the told story, Portland player Jim Barnett demanded to know what Thompson knew about basketball, and gave him a quiz to find out.



Little did Barnett know Thompson had attended the University of North Carolina. There he had worked in sports information and become friends with Dean Smith, then a UNC assistant and later a Hall of Fame coach, and players such as Larry Brown, who also became a successful coach.



"He passed the test," said John Harvey, former news editor at The Oregonian.



Thompson was The Oregonian's sports editor during the Trail Blazers' championship season in 1976-1977.



"He had great ideas," said Bob Robinson, who covered the Blazers that season for The Oregonian. "He had a good feeling for the pulse of the Blazers."



NBA basketball and the Blazers remained interests for Thompson long after he left sports.



He worked for years on the Blazers stat crew. After retiring from the newspaper, he wrote postgame press notes for Portland's home games.



In 2010, he wrote the book "BlazerMania: This is Our Story" for the franchise's 40th anniversary season.



"He was an incredible basketball junkie, and I mean that in the best sense of the term," Blazers team historian Chuck Charnquist said.



It was far from his only interest.



Thompson played the saxophone and loved all things musical, particularly jazz. He worked as a freelance jazz writer.



He was an original member of the Jazz Journalists Association, and editor/publisher of the Jazz Society of Oregon's "Jazzscene Magazine" from 1987-2006.



He was long active with the Portland Jazz Festival, and was honored last year as the 2015 Jazz Master.



His column on home electronics was syndicated for 20 years by the Newhouse News Service. He worked as a correspondent for Time Magazine from 1973-81.



Thompson's career survived a rocky moment in 1980 after a story he wrote about then-Washington Gov. Dixy Lee Ray.



Thompson's tape recorder failed during the one-on-one interview. Thompson tried to piece together Ray's responses by relying on his memory and written notes.



Ray had recorded the interview, and challenged the accuracy of the story.



The Oregonian suspended Thompson for two months.



Wohler said he and Thompson went out for coffee after his suspension.



"He told me, 'I blew it,'" Wohler said. "He took his suspension like a man. He was the consummate professional."



Harold Wayne Thompson was born in Waynesboro, Pennsylvania in 1936.



He graduated with a degree in journalism from the University of North Carolina. Before coming to The Oregonian he worked for a number of newspapers, among them the Atlanta Constitution.



He remained a passionate fan of the UNC basketball team and the Boston Red Sox throughout his life.



He is survived by M'Lou, his wife of nearly 55 years.



Memorial arrangements are pending.

-- Ken Goe

503-221-8040 | @KenGoe









