James and Jewel Prestage collection, 1940-2014

James Jordan Prestage (1926-2021) was born in Deweyville, Texas, and raised in Alexandria, Louisiana. After graduating from Peabody High School in 1944, he entered Southern University but was drafted into the U.S. Navy during World War II. He returned to Southern in 1946, earning a B.S. in Biology in 1950. Dr. Prestage married Jewel Limar in 1953 and completed an M.S. (1955) and Ph.D. (1959) in Zoology at the University of Iowa, with a year of teaching at Prairie View A&M.

Dr. Prestage joined the Southern University faculty in 1959, becoming a Distinguished Professor and holding multiple major administrative roles, including Dean of Academic Affairs, System Vice President of Academic Affairs, Executive Vice President of the Southern University System, Acting President, and Chancellor of the Baton Rouge campus. Early in his tenure, he secured NIH funding to install Louisiana’s first electron microscope and helped establish the university’s Department of Computer Science and Computer Center. He also served with the Louisiana Higher Education Coordinating Council (1971–72).

After retiring from Southern, Dr. Prestage taught at Dillard University for ten years, ultimately chairing the Division of Natural Sciences. His professional and civic service included appointments with ACT, the Illinois Board of Higher Education’s Commission of Scholars, the National Urban League’s BEEP advisory group, the Boy Scouts of America, Capitol Area United Way, and leadership positions in Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., and Sigma Pi Phi Fraternity.

Dr. Prestage was married to Dr. Jewel Limar Prestage for 60 years and is survived by their five children and extended family.

Jewel Limar Prestage (1931–2014) was an American political scientist, educator, activist, and mentor best known as the first African American woman in the United States to earn a Ph.D. in Political Science. Born in Hutton, Louisiana, and raised in Alexandria, she graduated valedictorian from Peabody High School at age 16 and entered Southern University in 1948. Dr. Prestage joined Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. and completed her B.A. summa cum laude in 1951. Barred from Louisiana’s segregated doctoral programs, she pursued graduate study at the University of Iowa, earning her M.A. (1952) and Ph.D. (1954) at age 22.

Dr. Prestage began her career at Prairie View A&M University before returning to Southern University, where she taught political science, mentored generations of students known as “Jewel’s Gems,” and later served as department chair and Dean of the School of Public Policy & Urban Affairs. She retired in 1989 as Distinguished Professor Emerita and later returned to Prairie View A&M as dean of the Benjamin Banneker Honors College. A pioneering scholar of Black women’s political participation, she co-authored the influential anthology A Portrait of Marginality (1977) and helped found the National Conference of Black Political Scientists, which created an annual mentorship award in her honor.

Nationally, Dr. Prestage served on the National Advisory Council on Women’s Educational Programs, appointed by President Jimmy Carter, and contributed to initiatives such as the Women’s Educational Equity Act. Her civic work included improving civics education through the National Defense Education Act Civics Institute, voter registration efforts with the Second Ward Voters League, and leadership in supporting newly elected Black officials.

Dr. Prestage was married to Dr. James J. Prestage and was widely recognized as “The Mother of Black Political Science” for her mentorship, scholarship, and lasting impact on the discipline.