From photography to Ping-Pong, woodworking to translating French fables, American Fork's new mayor has had a busy retirement.

Taking charge of a city has changed all that.

"My first five days have been quite busy," Heber Thompson said with a laugh during a recent interview.

When he still had spare time, one of his primary enjoyments was translating rhyming French fables.

"I am doing something which I think is unique," he said. "I'm translating Jean de La Fontaine's fables into English using the same rhyming pattern as used by the original author. I've always loved La Fontaine's fables and I just thought I'd see how they translate into English rhyme."

The project has been "very time consuming," he said. "We'll see if it turns out to be a good project. I might try to get it published."

Thompson has a bachelor's degree in French from BYU, which he received after serving an LDS mission in France. He, with his wife, Vicki, later presided over the France, Paris mission from 1993-1996.

As a mission, president he was famous for his ability in Ping-Pong, a sport he learned as a child and perfected during his lunch hours while working as a new products planner at IBM in California.

"They would have vigorous Ping-Pong matches at lunch hour," he said of IBM. "They had some pretty good players there. When I was mission president all the elders would challenge me in Ping-Pong and it is rare an elder would beat me."

While the French influence in his life has been a pattern, his employment and residences have been more serendipitous.

Born in Park City and raised in Salt Lake City until he was about 8, Thompson moved with his family to Richland, Wash., where his father worked on the Hanford Atomic Energy project.

After graduating from BYU, Thompson received an MBA from Stanford with a specialty in marketing. He went to work for General Electric in a marketing training program, moving to New York, Arizona and Los Angeles.

"I have been in the computer business ever since in some phase or another," he said.

He was transferred to another GE facility in San Jose, Calif., and then began working for IBM at its Advanced System Development Laboratory. His work took him to Los Gatos, Calif., Rochester, Minn. and Endicott, N.Y.

Next he took a job for the LDS Church working in the welfare department. He became the director of human resources for the church after his mission presidency and eventually trained senior missionaries for humanitarian and welfare service assignments.

"Our kids have lived in a lot of different places," he said. "They became flexible and adaptable to different circumstances. I think you get a feel for the spirit or soul of the community when you are in different places. You learn how they do things and what their values are. I have found high-principled people with values everywhere."

As an example, he cited his experience as the chairman of the curriculum committee for the Oak Grove School District in San Jose.

"This was in the '70s and there were all sorts of controversial educational approaches," he said. "This school district wanted things on a more firm and moral foundation. They asked me to chair this committee. We came up with a nice charter for things to be taught and how to teach them. It was well-received."

He enjoys photography and likes to take digital pictures and enhance them with his computer.

"I enjoy collecting landscapes and pictures of our grandkids," he said.

Thompson also enjoys music and sports.

"I learned how to play the trumpet and was in the junior high and high school bands and orchestra," he said. "I enjoyed athletics and played mostly football. I was an all conference center and linebacker." He has also played tennis and was ranked at state.

He plays golf and reads biographies and autobiographies in between woodworking and making various pieces of furniture.

And like most grandparents, family is a priority.

"Much of our family life focuses around our eight children and 17 grandchildren," he said.

As mayor, "I would like to have any citizen of American Fork feel comfortable about talking to me about any concern they have about the city," he said. "I would like to keep people well informed about what is happening in the city and what our goals are. I welcome their information and input."

This story appeared in The Daily Herald on page B1.