UA 5663 Janie Thompson papers

Janie Thompson at the piano sometime in the 1960s.

The University Archives recently acquired a great collection of materials from the exciting life and fruitful career of Janie Thompson. Janie grew up in the small town of Malta, Idaho before attending Brigham Young University in 1939. Janie graduated from Brigham Young University in 1943 with a degree in music. After graduating, Thompson toured Europe performing for troops during World War II. Janie also performed with various celebrities including Ike Carpenter and Tony Bennett.

Upon returning from a Latter-day Saint mission to Wales, Janie Thompson became the head of the Student Program Bureau, now Young Ambassadors, at Brigham Young University. Janie led numerous performing groups during her time at Brigham Young University. Thompson created many touring groups including Lamanite Generation, now Living Legends, and Young Ambassadors. Janie traveled the world with Brigham Young University’s various performing groups until her retirement in 1984. Janie Thompson passed away on June 1, 2013 but her legacy is still felt here at Brigham Young University.

UA 5663 contains Janie’s personal photographs, letters, scrapbooks, and other keepsakes documenting her life and career as a performer and the many Brigham Young University performing groups she was involved with. A finding aid to the collection is available here.

If you would like to know more about the Janie Thompson papers, please contact the University Archivist at (801) 422-5821 or gordon_daines@byu.edu.

blog post by Joseph Wiest