This week, we’re chatting with Maury Thompson. For loyal readers of The Post Star, he likely needs no introduction as one of their reporters for 21 years. We were thrilled to learn a bit more about him, including what brought him to Glens Falls, what his perfect Glens Falls day looks like, and what he’s currently working on.
Tell us about yourself!
Maury Thompson, freelance writer and documentary film producer specializing in the history of politics, labor organizing and media in New York’s North Country.
I am partnering with Snarky Aardvark Films of Queensbury on a feature-length documentary about Charles Evans Hughes and the Adirondacks. Release is expected in 2020 (see the trailer here).
I have written two books, “The Biggest Kid at the Balloon Festival: The Walter Grishkot Story,” and “The Animated Feather Duster: Slow News Day Tales of the Legendary Facial Hair of Charles Evans Hughes.” Both are available at The Chapman Historical Museum gift shop.
I previously was a reporter for 21 years for The Post-Star.
I covered 12 area congressional races.
On Life in Glens Falls
I came to Glens Falls from Ticonderoga in July 1999 to accept a staff writer position at The Post-Star. I previously had been a freelance correspondent in Essex County for a little over three years.
I originally expected to stay a year to 18 months, but stayed for nearly two decades.
It didn’t take long for Glens Falls to feel like home.
I like to say that in college I majored in English, and in life I majored in Glens Falls.
My wife, Debbie, and I recently moved to Ticonderoga to spend more time with my 12 grandchildren.
But I still major in Glens Falls – writing about its history, people and economic development.
A Perfect Glens Falls Day
On a perfect day in Glens Falls I would spend a Thursday afternoon researching at The Folklife Center at Crandall Public Library, catch supper at a downtown restaurant, and then come back to the library for a folk music concert.
On The Past
Trying to pick a favorite memory is like trying to pick a favorite flavor of ice cream at Stewart’s. I will settle for a memory from my first weekend in Glens Falls – attending Adirondack Drums at East Field.
Adirondack Drums was an annual drum and bugle corps show that Fort Edward Lions Club presented at East Field for many years starting in the 1970s.
Many of the top youth music and marching units on the summer circuit stopped in Glens Falls.
Glens Falls Music Academy brought the event back last summer.
…And On the Future
The biggest change in downtown Glens Falls is its vibrancy. When I first moved here in 1999 there was little activity in downtown on evenings and weekends unless there was an event at the Civic Center. On Sunday afternoons I would have to walk across the bridge to South Glens Falls to find a restaurant, other than Burger King, that was open.
The consistency between now, then and a century ago is the community spirit.
My hope for the future is prosperity for all Glens Falls businesses.
Thanks, Maury! We couldn’t agree more about the wonderful community spirit here.
P.S. Check out more of our My Glens Falls series here.