When Cedric Thompson passed away unexpectedly at the age of 79 in 2024, his wife Aimée was devastated—and wanted to find a way to make Cedric’s legacy of achievements and love of life live on. In the aftermath of his passing, one of Aimée’s advisors suggested she consider including a donation in her estate plans.
“I immediately thought of UBC to honour Cedric,” she said. “He had earned four degrees there!”
Cedric arrived in Canada in 1965 with a UBC scholarship and a plan. He pursued a Bachelor’s degree in Agriculture at UBC’s Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, now the Faculty of Land and Food Systems. He followed that with a Master’s in Soil Sciences, graduating in 1973. Cedric grew up in what was then British Guiana in South America, and planned to move back home with his education to help develop the agriculture there, helping ensure food security—and reducing poverty—for the country.
While soil science might sound like an esoteric field of study, the effects are much wider spread than good, sustainable crops. Healthy soil impacts water quality and pollution control, supports a healthy ecosystem and informs land use—ultimately it improves human well-being across a number of factors. It’s still a major focus for research and teaching in the Faculty today and, as such, is a major part of UBC’s significant contributions to combatting climate change.
Cedric returned to the newly independent Guyana after graduation, but then decided to return to BC, and worked in Dawson Creek for the provincial government doing land surveying. After four years, he realized he wasn’t making the differences he wanted to—and returned to UBC, this time in business and pharmacy. It was at the same time that he met his wife, Aimée, who was as impressed with his intellect as she was his charm. “He helped me open a bottle of wine at a gathering at a friend’s house,” she recalls, “and we spent the whole evening together like no one else was there.” They were inseparable from then on.
Cedric was inspired to change careers to pharmacy by his mother, who was a midwife in Guyana. He saw the difference quality medical care could make. He undertook the MBA at the same time with a plan of opening his own pharmacy business, but in the end decided against it, going to work at Stanley Pharmaceuticals on the research and development side. In true Cedric fashion, he continued to pursue ways he could help: he received a US patent in 1994 for his work creating a new antiseptic solution.
When Stanley Pharmaceuticals folded, Cedric turned his part-time work at Pharmasave into full time work, and spent the last part of his career helping people with their medicines as a pharmacist. “He ended up loving that job the most,” recalls Aimée. “He liked helping people with their medicines.” With his considerable expertise and determination to make a difference, some thousands of his patients probably gained a new understanding of their medication—with a smile and friendly encouragement.
When considering Cedric’s legacy, Aimée looked back to his own desire to make a difference as well as UBC’s strengths—and what our communities beyond UBC need the most. Aimée then decided that a gift in Cedric’s memory to support soil science was the best way to honour him.
“He had always wanted to help underdeveloped countries gain greater food security and independence,” she shared. “And by establishing a scholarship in his name, maybe his legacy will be that another student can achieve those aims.”
The Cedric B.H. and Aimée Thompson Fund will provide financial support for masters and/or PhD students studying soil science in any faculty, ensuring the funds will, in future, go where they are needed most. UBC is home to a number of legacies such as Cedric’s, and these awards are a valuable way to help tomorrow’s students and our future leaders. And at the same time, these awards help us remember those who came before and made their own contributions—and will continue Cedric’s desire to make a difference, one student at a time, far into the future.
