Yesterday, James “Jim” Brady, died. A few months after becoming President Reagan’s Press Secretary, he was seriously wounded in the assassination attempt on the President’s life. Since that time, Brady and his wife, Sarah, have been staunch advocates for gun control.
Brady, a Centralia, Illinois, native, was an Eagle Scout. After high school, he went off to the University of Illinois, where he became a member of the Kappa Kappa Chapter of Sigma Chi.
He served as Vice President of the junior men’s honorary Sachem. He was also Chapter Consul (President) of Kappa Kappa.
The chapter’s Centennial took place on May 1-3, 1981 with 700 alumni, chapter members, and guests in attendance. It should have been a happy time for Brady. Plans were to honor him, along with four other Kappa Kappas, with a Significant Sig Award. Those plans were changed a bit after the assassination attempt. A special telephone hookup was arranged from the Ramada Inn to Brady’s hospital room. James B. Wham, another Kappa Kappa from Centralia, delivered a tribute to Brady.
In 1996, President Clinton awarded Brady the Presidential Medal of Freedom. In 2000, the press briefing room in the White House became the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room.
James S. Brady 1940-2014
(c) Fran Becque, www.fraternityhistory.com, 2014. All Rights Reserved. If you enjoyed this post, please sign up for updates. Also follow me on twitter @GLOHistory and Pinterest www.pinterest.com/glohistory/
