James Raymond Lawson
| James Raymond Lawson | |
|---|---|
| Born |
January 15, 1915 Louisville, Kentucky, U.S. |
| Died |
December 21, 1996 (aged 81) Nashville, Tennessee, U.S. |
| Alma mater |
Fisk University University of Michigan |
| Spouse(s) | Lillian Arcaeneaux |
| Children | 2 sons, 2 daughters |
| Parent(s) |
Daniel LaMont Lawson Daisy Harris |
James Raymond Lawson (January 15, 1915 – December 21, 1996) was an African-American physicist and university administrator. He was the president of Fisk University, a historically black university in Nashville, Tennessee, from 1967 to 1975.
Early life
James Raymond Lawson was born on January 15, 1915 in Louisville, Kentucky.[1] His father, Daniel LaMont Lawson, was a Fisk alumnus, Fisk Jubilee Singer and an academic dean at Simmons College.[1][2]
Lawson graduated from Fisk University, where he was a member of the Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity and he earned a bachelor's degree in Physics in 1935.[1] He attended the University of Michigan on a Rosenwald Fellowship, where he earned a PhD in Physics in 1939.[2]
Career
Lawson was an assistant professor of physics at Southern University from 1939 to 1940, and an associate professor at Langston University from 1940 to 1942.[2] He became an associate professor and chair of the physics department at his alma mater, Fisk University, in 1942.[2] From 1955 to 1957, he was the chair of the physics department at Tennessee A & I University, later known as Tennessee State University.[2] He became a full professor and chair of the physics department at Fisk University in 1957, and the vice president from 1966 to 1967.[2]
Lawson was the president of Fisk University from 1967 to 1975.[3] He was the first alumnus to serve as president.[4] As many students joined the Black Power movement, Fisk's white donor base dwindled, leading to "salary cuts of twenty percent and operational budget cuts of twenty-five percent".[2] Fisk's endowment went from $10 million to $4 million.[4] Lawson resigned due to "severe decreases in faculty, staff and student enrollment".[2] However, his obituary in The Tennessean said he resigned "for health reasons".[4]
Lawson subsequently worked for the Energy Research and Development Administration and NASA in Washington, D.C.[2] He also served on the board of the Oak Ridge Associated Universities, and he was a member of the American Institute of Physics, the American Association of Physics Teachers, and the American Physical Society.[2]
Lawson was awarded an honorary Ph.D. from Fisk University in May 1996, and was offered a place to live on campus during the last few months of his life.[4]
Death
Lawson married Lillian Arcaeneaux; they had two sons and two daughters.[2] He resided in Nashville, where he died on December 21, 1996, at age 81.[5] His funeral was held at the Holy Trinity Episcopal Church.[5]
References
- 1 2 3 Otfinoski, Steven; Moser, Diane; Spangenburg, Ray (2014). African Americans in Science, Math, and Invention. New York: Infobase Publishing. p. 156. ISBN 9781438149615. OCLC 974769277.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 deGregory, Crystal A. "JAMES RAYMOND LAWSON (1915–1996)" (PDF). Profiles of African Americans in Tennessee. Tennessee State University. Retrieved December 9, 2017.
- ↑ "Presidents of historically black colleges and universities 1837–2013". Robert W. Woodruff Library, Atlanta University Center. Retrieved December 8, 2017.
- 1 2 3 4 Yates, Jon (December 23, 1996). "James Lawson, ex-president of Fisk, dies". The Tennessean. pp. 16–17. Retrieved December 9, 2017 – via Newspapers.com. (Registration required (help)).
- 1 2 "Deaths: James R. Lawson". The Tennessean. December 24, 1996. p. 4. Retrieved December 9, 2017 – via Newspapers.com. (Registration required (help)).