Former W.Va. NAACP President Jim Tolbert Has Died

A long-time advocate for civil rights among African-Americans in West Virginia has passed away.

James Alvin Tolbert Sr, passed away last week in hospice care in Kearneysville. He was 85.

Tolbert served as President of the West Virginia branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, or NAACP, from 1986 to 2007. He was a Life Member of the organization and chaired Region III, which covered seven states including West Virginia.

He also worked in the medical field for several years as both a medical and nuclear medical technologist.  

He’s been recognized for numerous local, state, and national services, earning various awards and recognition in the name of civil and human rights.

Visitation will be from 6 to 8 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 1, 2017, at Eackles-Spencer & Norton Funeral Home, 256 Halltown Road, Harpers Ferry, WV 25425.

The funeral service will be held 11 a.m. Thursday, Nov. 2, 2017, at Zion Episcopal Church, 301 East Congress St., Charles Town, WV 25414.

In lieu of flowers, it is suggested that donations be made to Hospice of the Panhandle, 30 Hospice Lane, Kearneysville, WV 25430.