Thompson Michael (Mike) John 2016
Michael Was born in Denver, Colorado and moved to Oak Ridge, TN in either 1948 or 1949.  He and his four siblings attended the public schools in Oak Ridge and all five of them graduated from Oak Ridge High School.

During his high school years he worked with his parents at their nursery, Thompson/s Botanical Nursery.  He attended Tennessee Technological University in Cookeville, TN and later transferred to the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.  He graduated form UT with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Ornamental Horticulture.  When he graduated in December, 1970, he joined the Army National Guard and was honorable discharged in 1977.  After the death of his father, John, in 1972, he and his family moved to the farm in White Pine, TN.

He worked and taught at Walters State Community College in Morristown, TN  He sold insurance for a short period of time and then began doing all the landscaping aned maintenance of the landscaping for several families in MNorrristown and Knoxville.  At one time he was the golf course superintendedn of Lakeland Golf Course3 and Resort in White Pine, TN.  Mike starated his own landscaping business and then in 1990's he started specializing in installing and maintaining rose gardent throughout East Tennessee.  The name of his business is Fairbanks Nursery.

Mike is a member, along with his wife, Chris, in the Holston Rose Society and the Tennessee Rose Society.  He is kalso a member of the American Rose Society and is an accredited ARS horticulture rose judge.  Mike and Chris are also active members of the Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Morristown, TMN.

Mike married Christine (Chris) Zvonar in June, 1974.  They have two adult children, a daughter and a son, two grandsons and one granddaughter.
Posted By: NS Administrator - 04-23-2016
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