Biography/History:

J. Walton Lipscomb III was born in Jackson, Hinds County, Mississippi, on December 7, 1935, to Dr. James Walton Lipscomb, Jr. (b. August 10, 1904 - d. July 11, 1966) and Anne Elizabeth Dubard Lipscomb (b. February 19, 1912 - d. March 3, 1980). J. Walton Lipscomb III is the eldest of James and Anne's four children including: Lewis D., William Beck, and Anne S. Lipscomb. J. Walton Lipscomb III was a 1953 graduate of Central High School, Jackson, Mississippi. After earning his high school diploma, Lipscomb III enrolled at Millsaps College, Jackson, Mississippi, where he received his Bachelor of Science degree in 1956. Lipscomb also obtained a Bachelor of Science degree from Mississippi State University in 1958.

After graduation, J. Walton Lipscomb III worked with the certified accounting firms Dick D. Quin & Co. and Peat, Marwick, Mitchell & Company, Jackson, Mississippi (1958-1966) where he became a supervisor. During the Berlin Crisis of 1961, Lipscomb's Mississippi National Guard Unit, 134th MASH, was activated and stationed at Ft. Polk, LA. Lipscomb was honorably discharged with the rank of sergeant. Lipscomb went on to serve as assistant controller at Duke University, Durham, North Carolina (1966-1968). Upon returning to Mississippi, Lipscomb was employed as controller with the Mississippi Hospital & Medical Service in Jackson (1968). Later that year, Lipscomb was hired on a Developing Institutions Grant to work at Millsaps, Tougaloo, and Belhaven Colleges, Jackson, Mississippi. Once the grant expired, Lipscomb employed full-time by Millsaps College where he became its chief financial officer at Millsaps College, Jackson, Mississippi (1969-1974). On February 6, 1971, James Walton Lipscomb III married a widow, Evelyn H. Weathersby (b. December 30, 1927 - d. December 3, 2009). Evelyn and deceased husband, Joe Weathersby, adopted one child, Mary Joe Weathersby, who was 16 at the time of Walton and Evelyn's marriage. After leaving Millsaps, Lipscomb became controller with the University of South Alabama, Mobile (1974-1976). Then, Lipscomb worked as controller at Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee (1976-1995). After retiring, Lipscomb worked part-time as a controller with the Jewish Family Service (1997-2006). In 2011, the newly installed president of Hiwassee College, Madisonville, TN, hired Lipscomb as interim vice president of business affairs for seven months.

In the 1960s, Lipscomb became involved with various organizations pursuing justice and reconciliation among the races in Mississippi. He served as treasurer of the boards of organizations such as: the Bethlehem Center, Head Start, Mississippi Council on Human Relations, the L.Q.C. Lamar Society, and various others. After learning of the bombings of the Jewish Synagogue, the rabbi's home, and the home of an activist friend, Lipscomb resigned from his position at Duke University and returned to Mississippi in order to engage in the efforts for racial reconciliation and justice. In May 1968, Lipscomb became a member of a small group of white Jacksonians known as "The Public." This group was organized by Lipscomb's friend whose house was bombed after the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

During the Jackson chapter of the NAACP's boycott protesting Sears, Roebuck and Company's Jackson, Mississippi store's discriminatory hiring practices, a committee from The Public met with the Sears' manager on two occasions in a an attempt to end the boycott but were unsuccessful. Lipscomb, a Sears' shareholder, submitted a letter to the company's chairman of the board of directors describing the bigoted hiring practices and treatment of black workers at its Jackson location. In addition to returning his Sears' credit card, Lipscomb encouraged other customers to return theirs and support the boycott initiative. Lipscomb's letter prompted a visit from the regional executives who negotiated a settlement with the Jackson chapter of the NAACP ending Sears' unfair treatment towards their African American employees and prospective candidates. In addition, the Jackson store adopted a policy of employing African Americans as sales associates. This resulted in other Jackson department stores tailoring their practices of hiring African American sales associates also.

Another example of Lipscomb's commitment to racial justice is evident in his endorsement of the "Statement Of Belief and Intention." Published on May 1, 1968 in the Jackson Daily News, the announcement was drafted by a white group of Jackson business and professional men and women. The document advocated for harmony among the races and the immediate end to the discriminatory practices permeating all aspects of Mississippi’s society. Lipscomb was one of two hundred sixty-eight signatories.

September 1968, Lipscomb attended the 1968 Democratic Party National Convention in Chicago, IL, as an at-large alternate delegate representing the Loyal Democrats of Mississippi. The Loyalists were recognized over the Regular Democrats who excluded African Americans. By signing onto the "Statement of Belief" and being seated as a Loyal Democrat, Lipscomb's name subsequently appeared among the files of the Mississippi State Sovereignty Commission.

In November 2012, James married an old high school friend, Betty Jo Cotten, who was also a widow. James Walton Lipscomb III presently resides in Madison County, Mississippi

Scope and Content:

The Lipscomb (J. Walton) Civil Rights Papers consist of correspondence and organizational records documenting J. Walton Lipscomb III's involvement in the boycott of Sears, Roebuck, and Company's Jackson, Mississippi, store and participation as a member of "The Public." This collection highlights the role played by some white Jacksonians in addressing acts of racial injustice, while promoting racial reconciliation.

Series Identification:

1. Series 1: Correspondence. 1967-1968

   This series consists of a resignation letter submitted by Lipscomb while employed as assistant controller at Duke University. The letter displays Lipscomb's dissatisfaction with race relations in Mississippi, and his willingness to return to Mississippi and assist others with combatting systemic racism and injustice. Of additional interest is an undated handwritten letter from Lipscomb to Sears, Roebuck, and Company's executives threatening to divest in the company. In this letter, Lipscomb proposes the idea of obtaining assistance from the United States Labor Department to investigate potential violations of the newly enacted federal legislation prohibiting discrimination if Sears' executives failed to address his concerns. Additional correspondence from Sears' top brass to Lipscomb indicate that Charles Evers - brother of slain civil rights and NAACP field secretary Medgar Evers - was satisfied with the changes made by the company.

   Box 1, folder 1.

2. Series 2: Organizational Records. 1968

   This series encompasses a proposal for the expansion of the Center for Renewal. Established in September 1967, the Center for Renewal was concerned with strengthening organizational potential through research, praxis and evaluation. The proposal for expansion documents a sundry of projects developed by the Center for Renewal. One such project involved the creation of a liberal white community action structure known as "The Public." Of interest among this series are the meeting minutes, notes, sign-in sheets, and position statements concerning "The Public." Moreover, this series includes an invitation from Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. to join the "Poor People's Campaign" in the spring of 1968.

   Box 1, folders 2-6.