Julius W. Becton, Jr., obit

Remembering General Julius W. Becton, Jr., former President of Prairie View A&M University

 He was not on the list.

PRAIRIE VIEW, Texas (Nov. 28, 2023) – It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of General Julius W. Becton, Jr., LTG (Ret.), former President of Prairie View A&M University. General Becton was appointed as the fifth president of his alma mater on December 15, 1989.

Known for his extraordinary career in military service, spanning more than four decades, he was the first Prairie View A&M University graduate to attain a star rank in the military. Among his decorations are the Distinguished Service Medal, two Silver Stars, two Legion of Merit medals, two Purple Hearts, and the Knight Commander’s Cross of the Order of Merit of Germany. General Becton was also the first African American director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, appointed by President Ronald Reagan in 1985.

Under his leadership, PVAMU significantly improved fiscal operations, successfully reaffirmed its accreditation with the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, and the College of Nursing received a full eight-year accreditation from the National League of Nursing.

On August 31, 1994, General Becton retired as President with the distinction of an Honorary Doctorate approved by The Texas A&M University System Board of Regents.

Becton was born in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, on June 29, 1926. He joined the U.S. Army Air Corps in July 1944, graduated infantry Officer Candidate School in 1945, and served with 93rd Infantry Division. He separated from the Army in 1946 but returned to service after President Harry S. Truman's executive order to integrate the U.S. Armed Forces in 1948.

Becton went on to serve in the Korean War and the Vietnam War, eventually rising to the rank of lieutenant general in 1978 and command of VII Corps in Europe during the Cold War. Among his decorations were the Distinguished Service Medal, two Silver Stars, two Legion of Merit medals, and two Purple Hearts, along with the Knight Commander's Cross of the Order of Merit of Germany.

While in the service, Becton graduated from Prairie View Agricultural and Mechanical University (Bachelor's Degree in Mathematics in 1960), the University of Maryland (Master's Degree in Economics in 1966). He also graduated from the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College, the Armed Forces Staff College, and the National War College.

Becton retired from the U.S. Army in 1983, after nearly 40 years of service. However, his public service career was far from over. From 1984 to 1985, he served as the Director of the Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance in the United States Agency for International Development (US AID). He then served as the Director of FEMA from 1985 to 1989 under President Ronald Reagan.