James Alton (Jimmy) Milam died December 17, 2018 at his office in Ridgeland, MS from a heart attack. He was 74 years old. Parkway Funeral Home is handling arrangements. A family graveside service at the Chapel will be held on Friday, December 21, 2018 at the Chapel of the Cross. A celebration of his life will be held on December 29, 2018 at 11:00AM. Visitation will be held at the Chapel preceding the celebration at 9:30AM.
Mr. Milam was born on December 29, 1943 in Charleston, Mississippi to Lula Mai Saunders Milam and Alton Carroll Milam. He attended elementary and junior high school in Charleston and graduated from Charleston High School in 1961. He was a 1965 graduate of the University of Mississippi (Ole Miss) where he majored in Business Administration. While at Ole Miss, he was a member and officer of Sigma Nu Fraternity, served in the Air Force ROTC, and sang in the Ole Miss group, the Chancellors.
On October 16,1965, he married June Martin, of Jackson, MS. The couple set up residency in Jackson, where Milam had a job with American Fidelity selling insurance.
In 1966, Mr. Milam went to work for IBM Corporation as a Sales Representative in the Office Products Division. He quickly rose through the ranks and was promoted to District Sales Instructor for nine Southeastern and Central States.
In 1971, Milam left IBM to assume a sales position with Central School Supply Company. In 1973, he was promoted to vice-president and general manager. Active in the school supply industry, Milam served as a District Director for the National School Supply and Equipment Association (NSSEA). In 1990, he purchased Central School Supply Company and subsequently founded a new company, Centec Learning Corporation, which focused on developing and distributing technology solutions for teaching adult learners. As CEO and Chairman of the Board of Centec Learning, Milam spearheaded the acquisition of four more companies. The merger of these companies resulted in the formation of Mergent Technologies with offices in San Diego, CA; Salt Lake City, UT; East Lansing, MI; and Silver Spring, MD. Mergent was sold to a subsidiary of Simon and Schuster Corporation in 1996.
Active in the Episcopal Church and in civic life, Milam served on the Vestry and as a Sunday school teacher and Leader of the Episcopal Young churchmen at St. Phillips, and as chairman of several church committees at St. James and the Chapel of The Cross. He was a long-time member of the Jackson Rotary Club where he served as an officer and as chairman of the club’s annual fundraiser. He also served as a Director of Golf Charities and on the Boards of St. Michael’s School for Boys, the North Jackson YMCA and Southern Christian Services. He was a member of the Country Club of Jackson, the Capitol City Club, the B&B Club and the Holiday Dance Club. With his wife June and several other couples, he helped found the Odd Couples Dance Club. He served as President of the Barrington Condominium Association, the Lake Cavalier Homeowners Association, and the Board of the Bella Vita Properties in Santa Rosa Beach, FL.
An avid traveler, Milam and his wife toured numerous foreign countries and spent time in nearly every state in America. He had a passion for cooking and for getting together with friends and family, especially his grandchildren. He was always willing to lend a helping hand to someone in need, but preferred for others not to know of his good deeds. Mentoring to young people in business was another of his passions. The consummate salesman, it was often said that he would sell the chair out from under you – and one time he did just that to friends and family at an Ole Miss tailgating party!
Jimmy Milam is survived by his wife of 53 years, June; one daughter, Kristi Manning Chovet; one son Jay, (Lisa); five grandchildren, Taylor and Walker Manning, Justin, Nathalie, and Jake Milam; two step-grandchildren, Caroline and Katie Morris; his nieces, Lynn Sawyer (Andy) of Nashville, TN, Anne Hall (Mike), of Collierville, TN, Lisa Anton (Donny), St. Louis, MO. He also leaves behind, his brothers-in-law, Larry Martin (Connie) Gig Harbor, WA and Karl Martin, Meridian, MS; and his niece Alexa Galeana (Miguel) Gig Harbor, WA, and his nephews Brian Martin ( Dana), Williston, ND David Martin, Seattle, WA, and Jared Martin, Ridgeland, MS.
Memorials may be made to: Chapel of the Cross Building Fund 674 Mannsdale Road, Madison, MS 39110. Ph: 601-856-2593.
