J.F. “Bud” Thompson Jr. of Meridian received an honorary doctor of public service degree from Mississippi State University President Dr. Mark Keenum at the university’s spring commencement in Starkville. A 1962 alumnus, Thompson is both the owner of Insurance Solutions of Mississippi and a partner at Thompson Limited Partnerships that received the 2011 Hartley D. Peavey Award for Entrepreneurial Excellence given by the East Mississippi Business Development Corporation.

An MSU mathematics education graduate and U.S. Marine Corps veteran, he initially worked as a public school teacher and coach. Beyond serving on the boards of the university’s alumni association and foundation and as Bulldog Club president, Thompson and wife Sue have established an endowed scholarship at his alma mater. Thompson also is a longtime member of the MSU-Meridian Deans and Directors Advisory Board and, in 2014, was honored by Meridian Community College with selection to its Eagle Hall of Fame.