Thompson discovers treasure trove
Author discovers treasure trove
By Allan RodriguezSports EditorPublished March 30, 2020
From secrets kept hidden in a shoe box, an award-winning history professor used letters and photographs to create his newest book.
Growing up in the mountains of western New Mexico, Regents Professor Jerry Thompson often wondered why there were no visits from his grandparents and why his mother never spoke about the other side of the family.
“It seemed like they did not exist,” Thompson recalled.
The truth came out right after his discovery of a shoe box hidden by his mother. He discovered letters and photographs that revealed secrets about his family line and about his grandfather—a Cherokee cowboy by the name of Joe Lynch Davis.
“In the early 20th century, Davis was at the center of...