A native of Wilson, N.C., James R. “Jim” Talton Jr. graduated from ECU in 1965 with a B.S. in business management and accounting. Between 1966 and 1999, he worked in Raleigh and Greenville, South Carolina as a certified public accountant with an international accounting firm, KPMG LLP. After retiring from KPMG, he served as vice president of Impact Design Build, Inc., a company of which he was part-owner devoted to residential home construction and real estate development in Cary, N.C. Through his tireless devotion to his community and his alma mater, Talton exemplified East Carolina’s ethic and motto as few have.
As an accountant based in Raleigh, Talton emerged as a leader in the N. C. Council for Entrepreneurial Development, the North Carolina Partnership of Economic Development, and the North Carolina Small Business and Technology Center. He also served as vice chair and chair of the Research Triangle Regional Partnership, as a trustee of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina, and as a director of WakeMed and the Triangle Chapter of the American Red Cross. In addition, he was on the Board of Directors and Executive Committee for the Greater Raleigh Chamber of Commerce, and the Board of Directors and Executive and Finance Committees for the Boys and Girls Club of Raleigh.
A devoted alumni, Talton served as vice chairman and then chairman of the ECU Board of Trustees, as chairman of the ECU Foundation, and as a member of the ECU School of Business Advisory Council. As chair of the Board of Trustees, Talton chaired the search committee that hired, in 2004, Steve Ballard, following the resignation of Chancellor William V. Muse in 2003.
For his extensive professional, educational, and community service, Talton was honored as “Tar Heel of the Week” in May 2000 by the News and Observer, and as “Business Leader of the Year for 2000” by Business Leader magazine. A year later, in recognition of his extraordinary dedication to the university, Talton received the 2001 Distinguished Alumni Service Award from the ECU Alumni Association and the ECU branch of Phi Kappa Phi. The same year, he received the university’s “Outstanding Alumnus Award.” On March 1, 2003, he was inducted into the Order of the Longleaf Pine, one of North Carolina’s highest honors recognizing outstanding public service to the state. In 2006, the Raleigh Chamber of Commerce presented Talton with the prestigious A. E. Finley Award. Following his passing in 2007, ECU established the James R. Talton Leadership Award in his honor.
Sources
- “Governor appoints Talton to ECU board of trustees.” ECU News Services. August 3, 1999. https://news.ecu.edu/1999/08/03/governor-appoints-talton-to-ecu-board-of-trustees/
- “James Talton Jr.” Greenville (South Carolina) News. April 5, 2007. https://www.legacy.com/obituaries/greenvilleonline/obituary.aspx?n=james-talton&pid=140575314
- O’Neal, Holly. “Interviews commence for new chancellor.” East Carolinian. February 2, 2004. http://www.theeastcarolinian.com/archives/article_5879d5a8-fd31-5a77-b894-52d5d9daab29.html
- “Portrait of James R. Talton, Jr.” Date: 1994. University Archives # UA55.01.2038. J. Y. Joyner Library. East Carolina University. Greenville, N.C. http://digital.lib.ecu.edu/23184
- Rickert, Erin. “Chancellor Search Committee receives charge.” East Carolinian. October 1, 2003. http://www.theeastcarolinian.com/archives/article_46f4e803-9524-5b5a-a49d-d63c47d58ab3.html
- “Talton receives long-leaf pine award.” ECU News Services. https://www.ecu.edu/news/newsstory.cfm?id=530
- “The James R. Talton Jr. Leadership Award.” ECU. https://talton.ecu.edu/
Title: James Ralph Talton, Jr.
Author: John A. Tucker, PhD
Date of Publication: 4/13/2020