Robert James Russell’s voice is full of the Midwest, full of the odd mix of modesty and boastfulness, the hard rough luck and unlikely grace that characterizes this part of the country. They navigate the mysteries of relationships between men and women, of family and geography, and find a recurring theme of abject longing throughout.īackground on stories “Doing the Thing” and “Claude” They are stories about the desperation of trying to fit in and find a kindred, to understand the elusive essence of love in all forms, to fill a void of solitude that only seems to grow as we do. Each story in Don’t Ask Me to Spell It Out is a sliver of time pulled from the life of a young man, each a fragment of feeling, each a pivotal intersection of relationships. James and his wife, Shirley James, who is the editor of The Tribune, lived in Savannah, Georgia they raised three children.A great storm and its effect on a young family a woman with a rifle in a barren landscape boys discovering the world of possibility in online sexuality a couple at a scenic overlook, their relationship at the verge of dissolution. James was recognized for his work with various honors and awards, including being named one of the 100 Most Influential Black Americans by Ebony Magazine in 2003, and being awarded the Distinguished Service Award by the National Bankers Association.

In 1989, James became the owner and publisher of The Fort Valley Herald both are publications dedicated to the African American community. From 1981 to 2002, James served on the board of the Georgia Telecommunication Authority he also purchased and revived The Savannah Tribune (now known as The Tribune). In addition, James acted as Chairman of the National Bankers Association in 19. During his thirty-year tenure as President and CEO of Carver State Bank, James pioneered the re-development of Atlanta’s inner city as well as helped avert the financial crisis of Morris Brown College. in 1970, James became President of Carver State Bank in Savannah, Georgia, one of the oldest African American-owned commercial banks.

In 1968, James became one of the first African Americans to be accepted into Harvard Business School.Īfter obtaining his M.B.A. degree in accounting from Morris Brown College in Atlanta, Georgia. Rowan High School in 1964, after which he received his B.A.

Bank president and entrepreneur Robert Earl James was born on November 21, 1946, in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, to Annie Mae and Jimmie James, Sr.

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