Elsie Wilson Thompson’s civic interests include youth services, education and the arts. She is a founding board member and past president of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Virginia, and a board member of the historic Paramount Theater of Charlottesville, the Piedmont Virginia Community College Foundation, the Virginia Chamber Music Foundation and the Foundation of the State Arboretum at UVA’s Blandy Experimental Farm. She is on the Advisory Board of the Fralin Museum at UVA and is co-chair of the Schools & Scholarships Committee of the Harvard Club of Charlottesville. For many years she has served as an intermediate application reader for the Ron Brown Scholars Program. She is a graduate of UVA Law School (J.D. ’75) and Radcliffe College (A.B.’72). After practicing antitrust and corporate law in New York City and Houston, she moved with her family to Charlottesville, where she has been involved in a number of entrepreneurial ventures and nonprofit organizations. While at UVA Law, she coached the first two racing seasons of the UVA women’s crew, and for more than a dozen years helped manage the Boys & Girls Clubs’ summer tennis program in Charlottesville. She and her husband, W. McIlwaine Thompson, Jr., have four grown children.
It is with profound sadness that we share the passing of Cal LaRoche, a brilliant and dedicated advisor and champion of the Ron Brown Scholar Program, who left us on Wednesday, April 9th, 2025.
Born in New York in January 1946, Cal graduated from Central State University in Ohio, where he joined the Eta Gamma Chapter of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity. His career spanned decades of leadership and innovation, beginning at the National Security Agency and continuing through key roles at IBM, SkyTel Communications, and The Orkand Corporation.
A visionary entrepreneur, Cal later co-founded DC Ventures and Associates.
His commitment to service was unwavering. Cal chaired the Boards of Trustees at Suburban Hospital in Bethesda and Norwood School and served with distinction for 15 years on the Advisory Board of the Ron Brown Scholar Program. His leadership extended to the Beta Mu, Boulé Foundation Board, where he served as Chair, and to Patients For Affordable Drugs, where he was a founding board member and Treasurer.
An avid golfer and advocate for equity in the sport, Cal co-founded the Pro-Duffer/Carter Foundation Scholarship to promote diversity in golf. A long-time member of TPC Potomac at Avenel Farm, he was as passionate about creating opportunity as he was about the game itself.
Cal’s legacy is carried on by his beloved family: his mother, Lucille “Gloria” David; his wife, Esperanza, and their sons, CJ and Ethan; his former wife, Cheryl LaRoche; their daughters, Gina LaRoche, Renee LaRoche-Morris, and Danielle LaRoche; six grandchildren; and his siblings. His wisdom, warmth, and unwavering belief in the potential of young people will remain an enduring part of the Ron Brown Scholar community.
We are forever grateful for Cal’s enduring support, leadership, and love. He leaves behind a legacy of excellence, generosity, and deep humanity. He will be deeply missed.
