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Thompson was born in Augusta in eastern Georgia near the [[South Carolina]] state line to Remus Warren Thompson and the former Mattie Lou Watkins (1910-1997), a southern working-class couple. The family included two older brothers, Kenneth and William Thompson, and a younger sister, Janice. Remus Thompson worked (1) in a cotton mill, (2) for Friedman's Jewelers in Augusta, having risen to the rank of credit manager, and (3) as a [[firefighter]] at the Daniel Field air base in Augusta. Mrs. Thompson and Ronnie, while he was still in elementary school, operated a [[restaurant]] near the military base.<ref>Moore, Thesis, pp. 1-2.</ref>

Thompson was born in Augusta in eastern Georgia near the [[South Carolina]] state line to Remus Warren Thompson and the former Mattie Lou Watkins (1910-1997), a southern working-class couple. The family included two older brothers, Kenneth and William Thompson, and a younger sister, Janice. Remus Thompson worked (1) in a cotton mill, (2) for Friedman's Jewelers in Augusta, having risen to the rank of credit manager, and (3) as a [[firefighter]] at the Daniel Field air base in Augusta. Mrs. Thompson and Ronnie, while he was still in elementary school, operated a [[restaurant]] near the military base.<ref>Moore, Thesis, pp. 1-2.</ref>

Originally a [[segregationist]], Thompson said that he had been reared to "believe in separation of the races."<ref>Roger Williams, "What Makes Ronnie Run", ''Atlanta Magazine,'' January 1971, p. 94.</ref> He also developed a resentment of the dominant wealth and power [[elite]]. He once said that he could not fully evaluate the overall status of Macon because "I'm from the other side of the [[railroad]] tracks."<ref>Margaret Shannon, "Can a Gospel Singer Find Happiness as the First Republican Mayor of Macon?" ''Atlanta Journal and Constitution Magazine,'' May 25, 1969, p. 16</ref>

Originally a [[Segregation|segregationist]], Thompson said that he had been reared to "believe in separation of the races."<ref>Roger Williams, "What Makes Ronnie Run", ''Atlanta Magazine,'' January 1971, p. 94.</ref> He also developed a resentment of the dominant wealth and the power elite. He once said that he could not fully evaluate the overall status of Macon because "I'm from the other side of the [[railroad]] tracks."<ref>Margaret Shannon, "Can a Gospel Singer Find Happiness as the First Republican Mayor of Macon?" ''Atlanta Journal and Constitution Magazine,'' May 25, 1969, p. 16.</ref>

Macon, situated near the geographic center of Georgia, was chartered in 1823 and named for the [[North Carolina]] statesman, [[Nathaniel Macon]]. The city contributed volunteers to the [[Texas Revolution]]. It was a temporary capital of Georgia after the sacking of Milledgeville in 1864 by the army of [[General]] [[William Tecumseh Sherman]].<ref>Ida Young, Julius Gholson, and Clara Nell Hargrove, ''History of Macon, Georgia'' (Macon: Lyon, Marshall, & Brooks, 1950), pp. 43, 48, 62, 88, 278</ref>

Macon, situated near the geographic center of Georgia, was chartered in 1823 and named for the [[North Carolina]] statesman, [[Nathaniel Macon]]. The city contributed volunteers to the [[Texas Revolution]]. It was a temporary capital of Georgia after the sacking of Milledgeville in 1864 by the army of [[General]] [[William Tecumseh Sherman]].<ref>Ida Young, Julius Gholson, and Clara Nell Hargrove, ''History of Macon, Georgia'' (Macon: Lyon, Marshall, & Brooks, 1950), pp. 43, 48, 62, 88, 278</ref>