University of Delaware Office of Public Relations The Messenger Vol. 5, No. 2/1996 ALUMNI PROFILE: Hospitality by design While still in his teens, Joseph E. (Jay) Thompson III, Delaware '77, realized that he must soon resolve a paradox: The career he wanted was also the career he dreaded. Should he pursue a degree in engineering or not? Since childhood, Thompson had anticipated such a career, but an after-school job in a drafting department had shown him too many engineers in cubicles, designing the perfect mini-widget. "I had nightmares about being stuck in an office," Thompson says. So, at 19, his choice seemed clear-get a degree in liberal arts. Eventually, Thompson's heart triumphed over his misgivings, and halfway through his college years, he transferred to the University of Delaware to enroll in the mechanical engineering department. There, he learned that the engineering field wasn't as rigid as that first encounter suggested. No cubicles for Thompson. He's now a corporate director of engineering for Marriott International, headquartered in Washington, D.C. He travels the world to ensure that new hotel construction and potential acquisitions will meet Marriott's high technical specifications and standards. Operating hotels also are invited to consult with Thompson if they are having technical problems. In addition, Thompson offers design input to manufacturers working on state-of-the-art hotel room amenities, such as energy-efficient air conditioners. On special occasions, Thompson even acts as an unofficial ambassador for engineers. He recently participated in the Industry Leaders Roundtable series videotaped at UD. His program is one of 13 to be broadcast on cable to students from coast to coast, who are working toward a bachelor's degree in hotel, restaurant and institutional management. Part of a joint project of UD and the Denver-based Mind Extension University, the taped roundtable discussions are broadcast over the Jones Education Network, which is devoted to distance education. Thompson saw this appearance as a chance to encourage hotel operators to make engineers part of their management teams. It also gave him a chance to demonstrate that "there is a variety of opportunities for engineers," including non-traditional roles. Thompson's attendance at Delaware extended a family tradition. His father, Joseph E. Thompson Jr., received his own mechanical engineering degree in 1951; his mother, Geraldine L. Thompson, received a master's in education in 1968; and his brother, Keith, received his accounting degree in 1977. When Jay married Ann Bosak, Delaware '76, he gained two additional alumni relatives, brother-in-law Jim Bosak, Delaware '79, and aunt-in- law Jane Trewyck Martin Cole, Delaware '54. Niece Amy Thompson, Delaware '98, has extended the tradition yet another generation by coming to UD to pursue a liberal arts degree. No one knows yet what or where Thompson's 10-year-old son, J.T., might choose to study, but a reliable, proud source has spotted him building in the dirt pile in the undeveloped area near the family's Potomac, Md., home. -Priscilla Goldsmith, Delaware '78, '85M