RICHMOND, VA - The D.J's Music Site HBCU Campaign Fund joins our August 2015 Supported Institution, Virginia Union University in mourning the lost of President Emeritus Dr. Allix Bledsoe James (1922-2015) who served as the seventh President of VUU.

Dr. James earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in 1944 and later, a Master of Divinity degree from Virgina Union. He also received a Master's and Doctorate from Union Theological Seminary. He returned to VUU in 1947 as an instructor of Biblical Studies and received several promotions as Dean of Students, and then Dean of the Graduate School of Religion and Vice-President. In 1970, he was appointed as the seventh president of Virginia Union University, serving from 1970-1979.

In 1970, during Dr. James' first year as president, Coburn Hall was destroyed by fire. It was one of the original "nine buildings" to stand on VUU's campus. Coburn Hall was eventually rebuilt and now houses the Dr. Allix B. James Chapel which holds services at 11:00 a.m. each Thursday.

Dr. James stepped down from presidency and took a year's sabbatical leave. He returned as a a full professor of theology and retired completely from VUU in 1993. He was devoted spiritfully and financially to the welfare of Virginia Union University and established two endowed scholarships at the University, one in honor of his father Samuel H. James, and another to honor his wife, Sue N. James.

Dr. James served as the paster of several churches and is a well-respected public servant. He was the first African-American to be elected as President of the Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada and the first to be elected president of the Virginia State Board of Election. Dr. James was the first African-American to be elected to serve on a major corporate board in Virginia, the first to serve as President of the Virginia Region of the National Conference of Christians and Jews (now the National Conference for Community and Justice).

"The HBCU Campaign Fund sends our thoughts, prayers and deep sympathy to the James family and the campus of VUU during this sadden time of lost. Please know that we at HBCU Campaign will be thinking of those who all knew Dr. James during this time of mourning but yet celebrating a great man who lived beyond greatness during his time on earth." - Statement to the VUU community from Demetrius Johnson Jr., President and Founder of HBCU Campaign Fund.

Services for Dr. Allix B. James include a viewing on Friday, October 2, 2015, from 6:00 - 8:00 p.m. at Ebenezer Baptist Church, 216 W Leigh St., Richmond, VA, 23220, and Funeral service on Saturday, October 3, 2015 at 11:00 a.m. at Coburn Hall inside the Dr. Allix Bledsoe James Chapel on the campus of Virginia Union University.