Photographer spent life fighting drunken drivers

Published 2:46 pm Thursday, July 22, 2010

Conrad Thompson held very intense, high profile, bureaucratic jobs.

To catch his breath, as they say, he took time to smell the roses.

And to take pictures of them.

And of mountains and all the natural wonders that caught his eye.

His friend, Reed Parsley, said he admires Thompson’s talent.

“Conrad’s photographic eye is acute and on the lookout for any spontaneous event nature provides,” Parsley said. “Moreover, Conrad’s skill with his camera is matched by his skill of presentation.”

Photographs by Thompson, 64, who lives in Granite Falls, were shown recently at Edmonds Art Walk.

“I started taking photographs at 14 with an old Kodak camera,” Thompson said. “While serving a three-year tour in the U. S. Army, 115th Intelligence Corps Group, I was able to improve my skills by developing and printing official pictures, some classified.”

After he retired, Thompson bought a scanner, a good computer and a printer, and what he calls “magic moments” began.

“Photographing nature; mountains, flowers and other scenic views has brought me great pleasure and peace,” he says. “Looking through the lens, the viewfinder, the troubles of the world and anxiety fade away.”

Thompson was born in Seattle in 1944.

He was nearly killed when he was run over in a crosswalk by a car driven by a drunken driver.

He has spent his life fighting chronic back pain and fighting to enhance laws against impaired drivers.

Thompson established several district court probation departments in our state. He received his master’s degree from Seattle University in 1974. His master’s thesis was “A Five Year Study of Drinking Drivers and Recidivism Rates.”

He was director of the state Bureau of Nursing Home Affairs from 1979 to 1986.

“In October 1986 I testified before the United States Senate Committee on Aging,” Thompson said. “I was the only director in the country asked to testify. This to me was a highlight in my life. That a poor farm boy from Washington state was so honored.”

He retired in 2005 after working for 14 years as a probation officer for Judge Roger Fisher in Snohomish County District Court.

Thompson didn’t really stop working, though he stopped getting paid for the hours and hours spent each week doing volunteer work. He is chairman of the Snohomish County DUI Traffic Safety Task Force and serves on the advisory committee for the Washington State Traffic Safety Commission.

The father of six works tirelessly to get legislation passed regarding alcohol and drug laws.

Tracy McMillan, coordinator of the Snohomish County DUI and Traffic Safety Task Force, said Conrad is a cherished friend.

“He is the type of person that would help anyone if he could; as long as they were trying to better their lives,” McMillan said. “He doesn’t do things to be recognized, he does things because he cares. Because of Conrad’s efforts over the last 41 years, lives have been saved, laws have been changed, and people have become sober and now lead productive lives.”

He is a heart of gold and a wealth of knowledge, she said.

During his work career, Thompson said he kept perspective in the realm of photography and music.

“Nothing in nature misses Conrad’s eye,” Parsley said. “Some of his most compelling photographs have come impromptu; a flickering of color or pattern by the side of a road, a streak or shadow that invades his artistic sensibility.”

Thompson said when he looks through the lens of a camera, bureaucratic frustrations and problems are lost in the click of a shutter.

“God gave us the beauty in nature and music to keep us sane,” he said. “Stop, see and smell the scents we have been blessed with.”

Kristi O’Harran: 425-339-3451, oharran@heraldnet.com.