 Julius W. Becton Jr.,
pioneering Black general and former head of FEMA, has died at 97 He was the Army’s highest-ranking Black officer for years and served during the Cold War and three active wars. “It’s the type of thing you don’t dream about,” he said.  Gen. Becton became a solider in part because he didn't want to be a teacher, preacher, or doctor.U.S. Army by Gary Miles Published Dec. 1, 2023, 5:28 p.m. ET Julius W. Becton Jr.,
97, formerly of Bryn Mawr, groundbreaking retired Army Lt. General, first
Black director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, past president of
Prairie View A&M University, one-time chief executive officer of public
schools in Washington, retired corporate executive, and author, died Tuesday,
Nov. 28, of complications from dementia at the Fairfax retirement community
in Fort Belvoir, Va. Born and raised in
Bryn Mawr, and a 1944 graduate of Lower Merion High School, Gen. Becton rose
from his two-bedroom basement apartment at Morris and Montgomery Avenues to
smash racial barriers in the Army, work alongside world leaders on global
issues, and later influence higher education and the U.S. economy. He and some football teammates rushed to join the
Army right out of high school in 1944, and he went on to serve nearly four
decades, rising from the segregated 93rd Infantry Division in the South
Pacific to become the Army’s highest-ranking Black officer in the 1970s. He was on high-alert duty during World War II, and the Korean, Vietnam, and Cold Wars. In 1978, he became lieutenant general and commander in Germany of the Army’s largest European combat corps during the Cold War. He was a platoon leader and wounded in action
several times during the Korean War in the 1950s. He was part of the famous
101st Airborne Division in the Vietnam War in the 1960s. Later, he was
commander of the prestigious First Cavalry Division, head of the Army
Operational Test and Evaluation Agency, and deputy commander of the Army
Training Center at Fort Dix. He won dozens of medals and awards, including the Distinguished Service Medal, two Silver Stars, two Purple Hearts, and two Bronze Stars. He retired in 1983 as the Army’s second-ranking Black officer and became head of the Foreign Disaster Assistance office and
then the first Black director of FEMA in 1985. Gen. Becton served “with great distinction” and
contributed “numerous and consequential accomplishments over a lifetime of
service as a soldier, leader, educator, administrator, mentor and role
model,” the Association of the United States Army said when it awarded him
its 2007 George Catlett Marshall Medal. In 2017, Gen. Becton told the AUSA: “I enjoyed being a
soldier. I enjoyed being around soldiers.” He joined the academic world as president at Prairie View from 1989 to 1994, and then focused on budget issues and accountability as head of public schools in Washington from 1996 to 1998. He also worked as chief commercial officer at Virginia-based American Coastal Industries and was on the board of directors and a trustee of several
organizations.  Gen. Becton graduated from Officer Candidate School and was deployed to the South Pacific near the end of World War. American Veterans Center “Gen. Becton has earned respect and admiration from
the military and the private sector for his energetic leadership style and
keen insight,” Nicholas D. Chabraja, then-chairman at General Dynamics, said
in 1997. Gen. Becton returned to the Philadelphia area often to speak at events and was quoted extensively in The Inquirer and other publications. He rode in parades, was recognized by the Department of Veterans Affairs and many other groups, and Ebony magazine listed him several times as one of the 100 most influential Blacks in America. He published Becton: Autobiography of a Soldier and Public Servant
in 2008, and Librarian of Congress James H. Billington said: “He writes with
the honesty, humor, and family feeling that makes this a rewarding family
story.” In 2020, the Institute for Diversity and Inclusion in Emergency
Management and other groups created a scholarship in his name to support
women and students of color who are studying emergency management. “We had the spirit of [the cavalry] and the spirit of airborne,” he said of his soldiers in a video interview with the Library of Congress. “You combine those two things, you become almost untouchable. At least we thought we were anyhow.” Born June 29, 1926, Julius Wesley Becton Jr. was a
high achiever even in high school. He enjoyed shop class and social studies,
was an all-star football center in 1943, and won the broad jump state
championship in 1944. In his autobiography, he said: “The Lower Merion sports
program was extremely beneficial not only for my physical and mental
well-being but also for the life skills it imparted.” He wanted to be a pilot when he enlisted, but an issue with his eyesight sent him to the infantry instead. He graduated from Officer Candidate School in 1945 and left active duty for the reserves in 1946. “In
today’s Army, it’s not the color of your skin that counts. It’s what you do,
how you do it, and your potential.” Gen. Julius W. Becton Jr. in 1972 He took classes and played football at Muhlenberg
College in Allentown for a time, married Louise Thornton in 1948, and
returned to active duty that year after the Army was desegregated by order of
President Harry S. Truman. He and his wife of 70 years had daughters Shirley, Karen, Joyce, and Renee, and son Wes, and they traveled the globe together. He always credited his hardworking parents for his drive and success, and his wife called him “a natural-born leader” in the forward of his autobiography. She died in 2019. “He was very serious but with a great sense of
humor,” said his son Wes. “He had high expectations for his kids.” Gen. Becton earned a bachelor’s degree in mathematics from Prairie View A&M University and a master’s degree in economics from the University of Maryland while he was serving. He also attended several military colleges and received five honorary doctorate degrees. His son said: “He was a very caring leader and
brilliant tactician.” In his autobiography, Gen. Becton thanked his children
for their “love, inspiration, and constant encouragement. No one could
imagine a better cheerleading squad.” In addition to his children, Gen. Becton is survived by 11 grandchildren, eight great-grandchildren, and other relatives. A brother died earlier. Services are to be at 10 a.m. Friday, Dec. 22, at Fort Belvoir Main Chapel, 5950 12th St., Suite 101, Fort Belvoir, Va. 22060. Donations in his name may be made to the Prairie View A&M College of Nursing, 6436 Fannin St., Houston, Texas 77030. READ FULL Article and photographs here: |
Tuesday, December 19, 2023
Julius W. Becton Jr., pioneering Black general and former head of FEMA, has died at 97
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