Electrical engineer James Edward West was born on February 10, 1931 in Farmville, Virginia to Samuel Edward and Matilda West. At various points, his father worked as a funeral home owner, an insurance salesman, and as a porter on the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad. His mother was a school teacher and worked at Langley Air Force Base during World War II, later losing her job because of her involvement in the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. West has one brother, Nathaniel. West’s interest in electricity resulted from his work with his cousin to put electrical wiring into homes in rural Virginia when he was twelve years old. West graduated from NAME OF HIGH SCHOOL, and attended Hampton University in Virginia with plans of attending medical school. Nevertheless, West was drafted and sent to serve in the Korean War, where he was awarded a Purple Heart for his outstanding military service. West later became a pacifist and transferred to Temple University in Philadelphia. He decided to change his concentration and went on to receive his B.S. degree in solid state physics in 1957. Link: http://www.thehistorymakers.com/biography/james-west
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James West
