Reverend Thompson Breaks Silence

Two years after the Academy “unjustly” placed him on paid administrative leave, recently retired PEA minister Robert Thompson feels a sense of closure in his relationship with the Academy.

In an interview with The Exonian, Thompson shared his perspective on his relations with the Academy and details of the past two and a quarter years he has been on leave.

“They were not thinking of my welfare or the welfare of my family, that’s for sure. I think they thought they were doing it for the welfare of the school, but I don’t even know if it was that,” [Thompson] said.

Following a Boston Globe article published on July 13, 2016 describing Thompson’s alleged role in the 2016 student-on-student sexual misconduct case, the Academy placed Thompson under gag order and banned him from campus. The leave came to an end on Oct. 13 with his retirement, announced by Interim Principal William Rawson on Oct. 29.

In his email to the Exeter community, Rawson said, “This situation has been painful to Rev. Thompson and his family and difficult for the school and the extended Exeter community.” He added, however, that the school and the Reverend had resolved their differences “amicably through mediation.” Assistant Principal Karen Lassey declined to comment about Thompson’s departure from the academy.

Thompson questioned the administration’s motives behind its decision to restrict his speech and ability to visit campus during his leave. “They were not thinking of my welfare or the welfare of my family, that’s for sure. I think they thought they were doing it for the welfare of the school, but I don’t even know if it was that,” he said. Former Principal Lisa MacFarlane could not be reached for comment late Wednesday.

Thompson claims, however, that he has moved on from any hurt or frustration he felt over the past three years regarding his relationship with the Academy. “I have let go of everything. It’s not mine anymore. And I was a very possessive person. I thought of Phillips Church as my church. But it’s not mine anymore. And it doesn’t hurt anymore. It is what it is,” he said.

During his two year leave, Thompson struggled to come to terms with his abrupt separation from the Exeter community. “The most difficult part has been managing the fundamental injustice…I was cut off completely from Phillips Exeter. I wasn’t allowed to walk on campus, I wasn’t able to identify myself as an employee of the school,” he said. “This is an era of a lot of sexual misconduct. What happened to me had nothing to do with that.”

According to Thompson, his leave was rife with a range of emotions, including moments of frustration and disappointment towards the administration. “When I think about it, it just seems kind of amazing that this is where I am and that I actually went through that last two and a quarter years. There were times when I really did get angry. Don’t think that I was always smiling this Buddha-like. I’ve definitely lost my temper. And I certainly had my depressed moments.”

Despite feeling that he was mistreated, the retired minister expressed that he is sympathetic to the administrative challenges of addressing an incident of sexual misconduct. “I don’t know what it’s like in the administration. I don’t know what I would have done if I was in their position. I can’t judge them. I do think it must have been very difficult work,” he said.

The previous two years on leave have offered Thompson an opportunity to focus on other commitments, primarily as board president of the Black Heritage Trail of New Hampshire. “I’ve taken advantage of the time off to work for the Trail…and none of that would have been possible had I been working at Phillips Exeter. It’s very interesting how things work out,” he said.

Nevertheless, Thompson shared his regret that he could not be present for certain community incidents, such as the release last spring of the Afro-Latinx Exonian Society (ALES) video highlighting instances of prejudice on campus and in the surrounding community. “Sometimes I’ve heard about things occuring, and I’ve been sad not to have been present,” he said. “It would not have happened that way if I had been there.”

Thompson expressed gratitude for members of the alumni community who supported him emotionally and financially during his leave. “One thing I’ve learned is that the administration is not the school,” he said. “I’ve just been blessed by alums beyond what I would have ever thought and beyond what any person should reasonably ask…The past two and a quarter years could have been very isolating, but the alums didn’t let that happen.”

According to Thompson, the circumstances surrounding his leave have not lessened his respect for the Academy. “I have loved this institution, and love is not an overstatement. This institution has always seen me at my best and my worst,” he said. “The difficulties and the bizarre nature of the last two years do not in any way overshadow the rest.”

Thompson will be publishing an official statement in the coming weeks that will divulge more personal reflections on the past two years. “There are some questions that were left unanswered by the school’s statement that are now up to me to answer. I think that I have an opportunity to tell my side of the story,” he said. “I’m not feeling any rush.”