Outgoing and incoming correspondence, a written reminiscence, and newspaper clipping articles both by and about him portray the interests, memories, and biographical information of W. E. Thompson (158 items). The first correspondence series is organized in five folders by subject. The first two folders concern his contact with former Southwestern University President, Dr. Durwood Fleming (108 items). They include outgoing and incoming correspondence relating daily events and news, invitations, friendly wishes, Thompson’s memories of his days as a Southwestern student, and his authored works. Additionally, Thompson occasionally attaches copies of correspondence with others for Fleming’s knowledge. The third folder holds correspondence specifically about his written works, authored articles, etc. (35 items). It includes outgoing and incoming correspondence related to requests for Thompson’s writing skills and historic knowledge as well as commentary on his articles and book, From the Grass Roots. Some of the correspondence in the third folder has biographical documents and/or small pieces of poetry by Thompson attached. The fourth folder focuses on the Texas Land Title Association and the Federal Housing Administration (8 items). Included here are incoming and outgoing letters about a Texas Land Title Association meeting at which Thompson was asked to be a guest speaker, plus letters to and from the FHA referring to a debate held between the San Jacinto and Alamo Societies. The fifth and final folder holds miscellaneous letters (7 items). It includes outgoing and incoming correspondence with White House employee Joe B. Frantz, as well as a cover letter to a list of Southwestern University graduates from 1885-1903, which is filed in the SU History series of the Thompson collection.

A second correspondence series of two folders contains the correspondence of Reverend Joseph D. Thomas and Sanford Reed (44 items). The first folder deals with Thomas (22 items), including incoming and outgoing letters with President Fleming on subjects such as the Pastors School at Southwestern University, the taping of Thomas’ life history, and the historical events of his life. Thomas writes much about his memories of Southwestern, and his correspondence to Fleming includes Episodes of his experiences as an SU student. The second folder has incoming and outgoing correspondence addressed to Reed (22 items). It includes correspondence concerning Allan K. Ragsdale and personal letters between Reed and Thompson commenting on each other’s writings and exchanging memories.

Following the two correspondence series is a third series related to the history of Southwestern University. This is the final series of the Thompson collection. It consists of four folders of newspaper clippings, historical documents, historical publications, written historical accounts, biographical documents, and photograph/slide media (55 items). Newspaper clippings, historical documents and publications are located in the first folder (42 items). Included in this folder are sketches of buildings on the SU campus and in Georgetown, a copy of the program for The Legend of the Bell sponsored by the 1927 SU Senior class, a clipping promoting Southwestern University from the 1904 Southwest Texas Conference Journal, copies of articles from Southwestern University Monthly, copies of an excerpt from the 1839 Twentieth Annual Report of the Missionary Society of the Episcopal Church, a clipping from a 1958 edition of the Houston Chronicle of a picture of Dr. Hyer with faculty members around a prototype version of the X-ray, a copy of the souvenir booklet celebrating the 1944 Southwestern University Commencement Exercises, and the list of SU graduates between 1885 and 1903. The second folder includes written historical accounts of SU student experiences as remembered by Rev. J. Thomas and W. E. Thompson (2 items). Thomas’ written account relates the mischief of the SU Prep Glee Club and describes noted personalities at Southwestern such as Dr. Hyer, Dr. McGinnis, Dr. Mouzon, Dr. John Hicks, Dr. Barcus, J. Frank Dobie and Y. Switzer. Thompson’s account is somewhat broader and includes recollections of various buildings, residence halls, classrooms, literary societies, fashions, customs, forms of entertainment, well-known pranks, and faculty members. The third folder contains newspaper clippings both by and about Thompson (7 items). Of especial note in this folder are a 1968 SU Megaphone picture of Thompson as an old graduate at an alumni celebration, an article from an October 1966 edition of the Houston Tribune written by Thompson about a boy’s dream of joining the Army in 1893, and an article from a September 1969 edition of the Houston Post written about Thompson’s experience as a writer after the publishing of his book, From the Grass Roots. The fourth folder of this section holds photographs and slides of both figures in SU history and of Thompson (4 items). Two of the items are slides of Hyer and the x-ray machine and of the SU faculty members of 1898, while the two photographs are both of Thompson, one with his wife Bettie, and one of him at the age of 91.