Eustace Thompson, educator, mentor at Uniondale schools and Hofstra University, dies at 81

Eustace Thompson connected people. As a college professor and mentor, he possessed the unique ability to find the right fit for his students' and administrators' careers.

"He looked at people and knew who they were. He recognized their strengths and connected them to the right people to further their ambitions," said Thompson's daughter, Beatrice Eustacia Thompson, of Hempstead.

The Mineola resident died on Aug. 8 from leukemia at the age of 81.

Eustace George Thompson Jr. was born on July 5, 1944, in New York City. He graduated from Newtown High School in Elmhurst, Queens, before earning his bachelor’s degree from the City College of New York and his master’s degree from Long Island University. In 1991, he received his doctoral degree in organizational studies from New York University.