Longest-serving MLK commission member and community leader James Butler dies at 77
Craig LyonsLANSING – James Butler III, the longest serving member of the Dr. Martin Luther King Commission of Mid-Michigan, who was widely recognized for his volunteer efforts throughout the community, died Friday.
Butler was 77.
Butler, of Lansing, spent 30 years working for IBM and led many community boards – including the Lansing Regional Chamber of Commerce's board of directors, the Lansing Entertainment and Public Facilities Authority, the board of directors for Sparrow Health System, the Physicians Health Plan board, the Western Michigan University Cooley Law School board and the state's broadband authority.
“He was the trailblazer, in very many instances, for industry and for business leaders in our community,” said Elaine Hardy, chairperson of the MLK commission and diversity, equity and inclusion administrator for the city of East Lansing.
In 2014, Volunteers of America recognized Butler with the John E. Demmer Award.
Butler, a veteran of the U.S. Army who served in Vietnam, received many commendations, including Combat Infantry Badge, Army Commendation Medal, two Purple Hearts and four Bronze Stars.
“He was the utility player,” Hardy said. “He did everything and anything that you would require him to do.”
For the commission, Hardy said Butler was the "elder statesman" – the longest-serving member in the organization's history. Butler kept the history of the commission and knew the importance of its ongoing work, she said.
"He was glue for a lot of us," Hardy said.
Butler’s contributions to the community are unparalleled, Hardy said, and he always had a tremendous work ethic plus dedication to the organizations he worked with yet also remained dedicated to his family.
“He was a fantastic person, a giving person and supportive person to people of the community,” said Larry Leatherwood Sr., who knew and worked with Butler for more than 40 years.
Butler was a consummate professional – he never went ill-prepared to a meeting and was ready to answer any questions he was asked. If he didn’t have an answer at that moment, he found it as quickly as possible, Leatherwood said.
“He didn’t do anything half stepped, he did it all way.”
More:Eva Evans, retired educator and community leader, dies at 85
Any of the entities Butler worked with benefited from his leadership and service, according to Leatherwood.
Butler was only the second Black person to lead the chamber’s board of directors – and he also led the Lansing Regional Chamber's Political Action Committee.
“He was a dedicated community servant who served in leadership positions with many organizations and was committed to building a better region,” Tim Daman, President and CEO of the Lansing Regional Chamber of Commerce, said in a statement.
"James Butler served his country and was a decorated veteran of the Vietnam War." Daman said. “He leaves a legacy that will be remembered by those who knew and worked with him on many important community issues through the years."
"He will be missed," Daman added.
Butler joined the LEPFA board in 1996, the year the authority was created. He was chairman of the board three times and served in numerous other capacities with the authority.
“Commissioner Butler's service to the Lansing region extended well beyond the LEPFA Board and [he] was a shining example of a great leader. On behalf of the LEPFA Board of Commissioners, we extend our condolences to Rishan and his family,” Price Dobernick, chairman of LEPFA’s board, said in a statement.
Louise Alderson, 54A District Court judge and chairperson of Cooley’s board, said Butler was an active and trusted member of the school's community.
"A friend to colleagues and faculty alike, James was a long-serving member of our Straits Committee whose purpose is to strengthen and bridge the communication and relationship between the board and faculty," Alderson said, in a statement.
Services are pending.
Contact reporter Craig Lyons at 517-377-1047 or calyons@lsj.com. Follow him on Twitter @craigalyons.