James W. Bell, 96, a long-time friend and supporter of Morehead State University, passed away on Jan. 6, 2019.
Born and raised in Louisa, Bell graduated from Louisa High School at 15 years old and attended the University of Kentucky. He later enlisted in the U.S. Army Reserve Corps at the start of World War II. Before his enlistment, he met and married a nurse in Lexington, Emma Fay Lyons. They were married 48 years and she preceded him in death in 1991.
Bell spent nearly half a century working on special projects with American defense contractors and the U.S. Army, U.S. Navy and U.S. Air Force. He worked for many major companies specializing in electronic warfare, including Raytheon, Sanders, LFE and SWL, where he served as vice president of engineering in Northern Virginia.
After his retirement in 1995, Bell moved to Morehead and became an active participant in University activities and a passionate supporter of Morehead State. He donated the Bell House, which previously housed MSU’s Office of Career Services and established the James W. Bell Education Scholarship. From this fund, a scholarship is awarded to full-time MSU students who have resided in and attended a public high school for four years in Elliott, Johnson, Knott, Lawrence, Letcher, Magoffin, Martin, Menifee, Pike or Wolfe counties.
Memorial contributions to the James W. Bell Scholarship Fund may be made at alumni.moreheadstate.edu/give.
