FOLKSTON - Former Folkston mayor D. Ray James has died at the St. Vincent Medical Center in Jacksonville, Fla. He was 89. <br>
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James, who was mayor for 16 years, died Tuesday after a short illness. <br>
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Under his guidance, a privatized state prison was built three years ago and named the D. Ray James State Prison. He also helped build a modern Charlton County High School. <br>
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Funeral services will be held at the First Baptist Church in Folkston at 11 a.m. Saturday. <br>
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A Georgia Tech graduate, James was a teacher, coach, principal in Patterson, Ga., and later school superintendent in Folkston. <br>
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James served in the U.S. Army during World War II and was mobilized immediately after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. He served throughout the South Pacific, including on Guadalcanal.
