James E. Ward ’48

Jim, who met the challenge of being one of Princeton’s first Black students with grace and courage, died May 27, 2022, at the age of 99.

Jim grew up in McAlester, Okla., and was attending Langston University when he enlisted in the Navy. He served in the South Pacific in 1944. In July 1945, he came to Princeton, along with three other Black V-12 students, including Arthur (Pete) Wilson ’48. 

Smart, resilient, and resourceful, Jim majored in economics and was a member of Prospect Cooperative Club, Whig-Clio, and the Liberal Union. He connected with the local Princeton community, and one Sunday in church met Mary Emma Allison. Jim and Mary married in the fall of 1947, when Jim also received his degree, the third Black man to graduate from the University.

Jim attended Temple business school, worked for the American Friends Service Committee, and was a Navy recruiter. He returned to active duty from 1952 to 1955 and by the early 1960s had settled in Princeton. Jim earned a law degree from Seton Hall in 1971 while working at Research-Cottrell and became the company’s assistant legal counsel. He later moved to Austin, Texas, where he worked for the state’s Railroad Commission and then for many years as legal counsel and investigator at the Texas Human Rights Commission.

Mary died in 1999 and Jim moved back to McAlester. He served as a court mediator, hospice volunteer, and treasurer at his church well into his 90s. In 2021, he went to live with relatives in Haymarket, Va. 

Jim is survived by his son, Ronald; three grandchildren; six great-grandchildren; brother William; and nephew Jeffrey Allison ’83. Mary and son James Jr. predeceased him. The class extends heartfelt condolences to Jim’s family and friends on the passing of our very special classmate.