JAMES JORDAN PRESTAGE
1926-2021
James Jordan Prestage was born April 29, 1926 in Deweyville, Texas to James Jordan Prestage, Sr. and Mrs. Mona Wilkins Prestage. He moved to Alexandria, Louisiana at a young age, where he was baptized at New Hope Missionary Baptist Church in Alexandria. James graduated from Peabody High School in 1944, where he served as Class President and was voted “best all-around athlete”.
James entered Southern University in the fall of 1944, but his initial tenure at Southern was short-lived, as he was almost immediately drafted into the United States Navy, where served in World War II and remained until 1946.
Once discharged from the Navy, he resumed his studies at Southern in the fall of 1946, graduating cum laude in 1950 with a degree in Biology. At Southern, he pitched on the baseball team, served as president of the sophomore, junior and senior classes, and was president of the Beta Sigma Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. for 2 years.
While at Southern, James also worked as a student instructor in the biology lab, where he met a young lady named Jewel Limar, who would ultimately become his life partner.
James aspired to become a medical doctor and after graduating from Southern, returned to Alexandria to apply for both medical and graduate schools. Although options were extremely limited for Blacks, he remained persistent. While applying, he was the football coach at St. James High School in Alexandria in 1950, from which he was recalled to active duty in the United States Navy in the Korean War. Upon his discharge from the Navy in 1952, he worked for the United States Postal Service in San Francisco.
On August 12, 1953, James married Jewel Limar and resumed his academic pursuits as a graduate student at the University of Iowa, where Jewel was completing her doctoral studies. James earned his M.S. degree in Zoology in 1955 and his
Ph.D. in 1959, spending the 1955-1956 academic year as a Biology instructor at Prairie View A&M University. At Iowa, he was inducted into Sigma Xi Scientific Honor Society.
Upon receipt of his Ph.D., James returned to Southern as an Assistant Professor in the fall of 1959. The following year, he was able to secure funding from the National Institutes of Health to set up the first electron microscope in the state of Louisiana. While at Southern, James ascended to positions of increasing responsibility, both academic and administrative. Academically, he moved from Assistant Professor to Full Professor, Distinguished Professor and ultimately, Distinguished Professor Emeritus. President F. G. Clark tapped him to lead the creation and development of the Department of Computer Science and then serve as the founding Director of the Computer Center. He subsequently served Southern University as Dean of Academic Affairs, System Vice President of Academic Affairs, Acting President of the Southern University System, Executive Vice President of the Southern University System and Vice President of Academic Affairs, Coordinator of Consent Decree Activities and Chancellor of the university’s Baton Rouge campus. When he retired, James had served the university and system in more administrative positions than anyone in the university’s history.
In addition to his academic and administrative responsibilities at Southern, James also served as the Assistant Director of the Higher Education Coordinating Council for the State of Louisiana from 1971-72, which was the coordinating agency for all of the higher education in the state, now known as the Louisiana Board of Regents.
After his retirement from Southern, James joined the faculty at Dillard University in New Orleans. He spent 10 years at Dillard as a professor and eventually Chair of the Division of Natural Sciences before retiring in 1997 to join Jewel in Texas, as she had returned to Prairie View upon her retirement from Southern.
James’ service extended beyond Southern, Dillard and the state of Louisiana, as he served on many regional and national boards, including American College Testing (ACT), the State of Illinois Board of Higher Education Commission of Scholars and the National Urban League’s Black Executive Exchange Program advisory group.
James was also deeply involved in civic and charitable activity in Baton Rouge, serving on boards for the Istrouma Council of Boy Scouts of America and the Capitol Area United Way, the Greater Mount Carmel Baptist Church Board of Trustees, and was a founding member of The Holy Grill, an interdenominational program for feeding the hungry. He also served as President of the Beta Iota Lambda Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. for 9 consecutive years. Beyond Alpha Phi Alpha, James’ other social involvements included membership in the Sigma Pi Phi Fraternity – Alpha Xi Boule.
On October 13th, James went to his eternal home to be with the Lord. He is survived by the five children born to his union with
Jewel – Terri Prestage-White (Patrick), James Grady Prestage (Fheryl), Eric Warren Prestage, Karen Prestage Washington (Lionel) and Jay Wilkins Prestage (Takara); nine grandchildren, two great-grandchildren; many nieces & nephews, cousins, godchildren and friends.
He is also survived by many members of the extended Limar family, with whom he was extremely close and by whom he was loved, admired and respected.
James was preceded in death by his wife of 60 years, Dr. Jewel Limar Prestage, his parents; two brothers (George and James), five sisters (Addie, Loneader, Lois, Lena and Susie) and one grandchild (Jacqueleen).