James "Jim" H. Wharton

James H. (Jim) Wharton died peacefully at home surrounded by loving family in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, on May 22, 2021. He was 83 years old. Jim was born to Henry and Faye Wharton on July 23, 1937 just outside of Mangum, Oklahoma. He is survived by his wife of 64 years, Joan McPherson Wharton. They were married on November 23, 1956 in West Monroe, Louisiana. He is also survived by two loving children, Sherri Wharton Hadskey and John Scott Wharton and his wife Bridget. He was very proud of five grandsons, Beau (Ashby) and Alex Hadskey and Jake (Camille), Sam and Will Wharton. He is survived by two sisters, Kathryn Wharton of Washington D. C., Nancy Drummond of Niny Kaw, Oklahoma and one brother, Sam Wharton of Victorville, California. He was preceded in death by his sister, Margaret Caffey of Mangum, and his parents, John Henry Wharton and Faye Walling Wharton. Jim earned his PhD in chemical physics from LSU in 1962, and then served as an assistant professor of chemistry for the remainder of the year He served in the Ordinance Corps of the U. S. Army from 1963 to 1965 where he was assigned to the Marshall Space Flight Center to work on the Saturn V moon landing program for NASA. At Dean A.R. Choppin’s request, he returned to LSU in1965 as an Assistant Professor. He was promoted to Associate Dean of the College of Chemistry and Physics in 1968 and to the Deanship of the Junior Division in 1971 where he automated the first student records in the history of LSU. In 1974 Chancellor Paul Murrill promoted Jim to the position of Dean of the General College where he had 12,000 students and was responsible for The Junior Division, University College, The Admissions Office, The Registrars Office, Student Aid and High School Relations. In 1979, the LSU Board of Supervisors sent Dr. Wharton to serve as Chancellor of LSU in Alexandria during a difficult period in the history of that campus. In 1981 he was chosen by the Board of Supervisors to be Chancellor of Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College. He served as Chancellor until 1989. Dr. Wharton taught Chemistry from 1990 through May of 2008 when he fully retired from the University. During the eight-year tenure as LSU’s third Chancellor, he steered the state’s flagship institution of higher learning to unprecedented progress while guiding the institution through one of the most difficult financial periods in the University’s history. Through much adversity, he managed to make major improvements in the quality of the University’s faculty and students, its academic standards, its private fundraising programs and its research effort while contending with continual state budget cuts. In 1982 he pushed to create the Louisiana Endowment Trust Fund for Eminent Scholars which became a reality in 1983 and was the forerunner of today’s support program for faculty chairs and professorships. LSU’s first admission standards approved in1984 for implementation in 1988 improved the enhanced ACT score for entering freshman students and improved the graduation rate from 33 to 47 percent. The hallmark of his administration was the Quality Trust Program, designed to upgrade instruction and research and to maintain LSU’s statewide “flagship” status as Louisiana’s premier, comprehensive university. He was also responsible for reorganizing and streamlining the University’s internal administration. He succeeded in bringing peak efficiency to LSU operations which boasted the lowest per-student overhead cost of any comparable national institution. Funding from outside grants from state, federal and private sources increased dramatically during his term as chancellor. LSU’s research grants went from $17 million to more than $50 million per year. In 1987 the Carnegie Foundation designated LSU as a “Research University I,” the highest advanced-research ranking given by the Foundation. The designation put LSU in a group of 45 public and 25 private universities. Funds from private gifts also increased significantly. The LSU Foundation was converted from a system foundation to a private foundation and its assets increased from $7 million in 1981 to $45 million in 1989. Private funds on deposit with the University increased from $2 million to $12 million and great progress was made toward building a strong and very active LSU Alumni Association. The bylaws and articles of incorporation for TAF were written and the organization undertook the first major improvement of athletic facilities with private funds. An office of technology transfer that has brought in more than $10 million was also created. Near the end of his term as chancellor he raised $8.5 million in private funds toward the purchase of a $17 million supercomputer that had a significant impact on the future of the University. After serving as Chancellor he remained as a fund raiser and highly regarded teacher. He continued a long tradition of volunteer service to the state and University. He served as chairman of the committee which oversaw the implementation of federal and state laws providing for the appropriate education of all handicapped children; handled the political, economic and contractual issues required to bring the LASER Interferometer Gravity-Wave Observatory to Louisiana, which later proved, and fulfilled the last prediction of Einstein’s general theory of relativity; served as chair of the scientific team advising the state on the proper disposal of oil field wastes; served as chairman of the advisory committee on 8-G expenditures for the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education; served as chairman of the capital construction committee for renovations and additions to the University Laboratory School; and served as a consultant to the state on desegregation. In the early years he worked with Patrick Taylor as a volunteer on the TOPS program and later served as a consultant to Mr. Taylor on access to higher education. After Mr. Taylor’s death he continued his service as a consultant to Mrs. Taylor. He was a Board member of the Patrick F. Taylor Foundation. He served as a higher education consultant to the State of Mississippi and to the University of Alabama System. He was named the LSU Alumnus of the year for 2005. He has received commendations for his service to the State and University from the Louisiana Senate, the Louisiana House of Representatives and in a proclamation by the Governor. We would like to express our deepest gratitude for Dr. Carl Luikart and Dr. Joel Silverberg for all the care and love provided throughout the years. A memorial visitation will be held at Rabenhorst Funeral Home 825 Government Street from 5:00 pm until 8:00 pm on Wednesday, May 26, 2021. A private graveside service will be held later at Louisiana National Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations can be made to the University Laboratory School Foundation ([email protected] (225)578-3148) or the American Heart Association (www.heart.org).