James Douglas Colquitt

James Douglas Colquitt was born on July 21, 1930 in Valley Mills, Texas to the parentage of Willie Colquitt and Mary Naomi Brown. He had one brother, Thomas Meeks who predeceased him. At an early age, James was baptized as a Presbyterian.

Upon his graduation from high school, he joined the United States Army. His military service allowed him to travel throughout the United States and abroad.

James was a veteran of the Korean and Vietnam Wars and served with honor and distinction, earning personal decorations and receiving many unit citations and awards during his twenty years of honorable and faithful service. In 1967, he retired at Fort MacArthur Army Base in San Pedro, California.

When he retired from the Army, he pursued a second career first by gaining employment in the aerospace industry with Hughes Aircraft Division in Fullerton, California. Having a long held desire to become a business owner, he opened his first business, an automobile tire center in Fullerton, California. He subsequently owned a liquor store in Santa Ana, California and one in Los Angeles, California, which he operated for over 20 years.

James became an activist in local civic organizations. He served as President of the Orange County Branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) for over 15 years.  In addition, he served on the board of the Community Action Partnership of Orange County (CAPOC) where he has represented the NAACP for over 20 years. He also served as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the African American Beverage and Grocers Association Scholarship Fund.  He was also a long term member of the National United Merchants and Beverage Association.

His recreational outlets included a passion for pinochle, bid whist, dominoes, solving Sudoku puzzles and relaxing in his favorite chair watching sports on TV.

James was married to Betty J. Colquitt for over 63 years and has lived in Placentia, California for over 50 years. They are the parents of four children, Babette, Glenn, Douglas (Tamiko), and Cynthia (Edward) and grandparents of six (Vanessa, LaNeir, Jasmine, Paige, Camryn, and Lauryn), and great grandparents of two (Kamilla and Xavier). He is also survived by his cousin, Bryan Session.