Hall of Fame

John A. Peoples, Jr.

  • Class
  • Induction
    1993
  • Sport(s)
  • Jackson State
Early life & education
  • He was born in August 1926 in Starkville, Mississippi.
  • After high school, he enlisted in the United States Marine Corps and served during the segregated era, including as a drill instructor at Montford Point (the training camp for Black Marines) at Camp Lejeune.
  • After his military service he entered Jackson State (then a teacher’s college) in 1947, earning a B.S. in Mathematics in 1950 (graduating number one in his class) at JSU.
  • He then went to the University of Chicago where he earned an M.A. (1951) and later a Ph.D. (1961) in higher education.
Career & tenure at Jackson State
  • After teaching in the public school system in Gary, Indiana (1951–58) and serving as a principal, he returned to JSU in 1964 as a professor of mathematics and soon-after vice-president.
  • On March 8, 1967, he became the sixth President of Jackson State College (which later became Jackson State University).
  • He served as president from 1967 to 1984—a 17-year tenure.