Another Light on the Hill Black Students at Tufts

Irma Thompson Diggs

Irma Thompson J37 celebrated her marriage at Goddard Chapel with her field hockey and basketball teammates, 1937

Irma Thompson Diggs J37, was born and raised in Medford. While a student at Jackson College, she was affectionately known as Tommy and was renowned for her athleticism. She played on the Jackson field hockey and basketball team all four years of her time at Tufts and captained the basketball team as a senior. Her prowess both on the field and on the court were regularly covered in the Tufts Weekly, a rarity for women’s sports at the time. Her wedding to Norwood, Massachusetts native and Wentworth Institute alum Henry William Diggs in the fall of 1937 was similarly covered, as Thompson and Diggs held their ceremony at Goddard Chapel.

Thompson Diggs and her husband were well-known in the city of Norwood and were regarded as leaders in the Black community. They both were active on the Norwood Fair Housing Committee and as members of the United Church of Norwood. She passed away in 1990 at age 75.


Biography written and researched by Peter Lam and updated by Cat Rosch.


Sources:

Blodgett, Harriet. “Irma Thompson, Ex-Jackson Star to Wed in Goddard.” The Tufts Weekly. October _, 1937.