Pioneering Ocala leader dies at 102

William James [Meagan Gumpert Photography]

William James started the morning of Jan. 4 off like he did most other days of his 102 years, by praying for all of the people driving on U.S. Highway 441 in front of his home north of Ocala.

James, who was born Jan. 1, 1921, passed away the evening of Jan. 4. During his life, he was known as a hard worker, mentor, humanitarian and devout Christian.

James was the Marion County School District’s first Black custodial supervisor and oversaw 17 schools. Along the way he mentored a great many students, including during the turbulent years of integration. He retired in 1986, after 27 years with Marion County Public Schools.

Among his many honors and accolades was receiving the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Commemorative Commission’s Legacy Pioneer Award, having the city of Ocala’s William James Start! walking trail on Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue named for him and being an inaugural inductee of the Legacy Park Community Service Recognition Program. He was an honorary deputy with the Marion County Sheriff’s Office, where he served on advisory boards and volunteered to minister to inmates at the county jail. He also was a recipient of the Marion County NAACP’s Frank Pinkston Humanitarian Award.

In 2014, James was given a Lifetime Achievement Award when he was one of 10 inductees into the Marion County Black History Museum Hall of Fame. The notes from that event indicate that James’ father died in 1929, leaving his mother to raise him and his three siblings. After the eighth grade, he quit school to work to help his family. He worked as a laborer until he was 21 and then worked at a brick factory. After 12 years there, in 1954, he became a custodian at Howard High School.

By the mid-1960s, James was the head custodian at Fessenden Academy, one of the first local schools for Black students. A few years later, when Marion County Public Schools integrated, his supervisors recognized that James’ rapport with students would be a valuable asset to help the first Black students to attend North Marion High School.

In an article in our sister publication, “Ocala Style Magazine,” James talked about integration.

“The students knew me. I was at North Marion High School when the county schools were integrated. It was something I had prayed for, and I thanked God that I was privileged to see it. It was just like Dr. King had dreamed…white children and black children were going to school together and playing together. It was wonderful to see,” he said.

Some key life advice he said he was able to impart to black students was to be “adjustable.”

“Are you familiar with an adjustable wrench?” he asked. “It adjusts to different sizes. And that’s how life is. I lived my life that way…adjustable. I had to adjust to different situations, no matter what it was.”

Cynthia Wilson-Graham has authored and co-authored several books about the African-American community in Marion County, including, in 2017, “Walking by Faith,” a biography of James.

James’ birthplace and lifelong home is directly adjacent to US 441 near County Road 326. Wilson-Graham said he “was born, raised and passed away on the same ground.”

She described him as “a trailblazer, yet soft spoken and humble.”

“Mr. James had a limited education, but he was always ready to help any individual succeed in life. Mr. James was a humanitarian at heart,” she said.

James was a very social person and enjoyed working with community groups and leaders, such as Jacalyn Brown, found of Flip Flop Support Groups, which works with families of those who are incarcerated, and who later became one of his caregivers.

Brown said she met James in October of 2009 when they both attended a community meeting at the Ocala Police Department and they later went out for a meal and became fast friends. When the COVID-19 pandemic came along, James was not able to be as socially active as he liked to be, including serving as a chaplain with the support group.

“When that was gone, he needed more care and that’s when I started to help take care of him,” Brown said.

She said in his final days, she and caregivers Grandvera Bryant and Bill Young Jr. were his constant companions.

When asked about life lessons James may have imparted to her, Brown mentioned the “legacy of the adjustable wrench, that whatever happens in life you have to adjust to it.”

She said she always loved that James would call her every morning with a joke or a riddle.

“His most spiritual belief was always, ‘Do unto others as you would have others do unto you,’” she said.

James is survived by his brother Grady James; niece Patricia James; nephew Chris James; nephew Roscoe Addison, whom he raised, and his wife Jacqueline Addison; in addition to many other family members and friends.

Brown said a funeral service is tentatively set for Jan. 14.

“Ocala Style Magazine” and the “Ocala Gazette” have published numerous articles related to Mr. James, including:

Walking the Walk – Ocala Style Magazine

Separate But Not Equal – Ocala Style Magazine

A Lifetime of Firsts – Ocala Style Magazine

Living for the Lord | Ocala Gazette