Whereas, James Clyde Butler was a 1966 English Graduate of Southwestern, now known as Rhodes College, in Memphis, TN and taught English at Davis Elementary School in Huntsville, AL for two years.

Whereas, he was a veteran of the United States Army and served as a Sergeant during Vietnam and was a   military  policeman from 1968-1970.

Whereas, he was a member of St. Peter's Episcopal Church.

Whereas, he went on to earn a Master's in Library Science at the University of  Mississippi and became Senior Librarian at the J. D. Williams Library on the Oxford campus. He retired from the University in 2002 as the Circulation Librarian.

Whereas, his colleagues fondly remember him as a dedicated, warm, and generous librarian. "Jim’s forte was working with people at the Circulation Desk," said Royce Kurtz. "Many of the people who came to the desk were upset because they couldn’t find a book or had received a fine. He always calmed them down and helped solve their problems."

“Mr. Butler was a great man, in my opinion,” said Janice Smith, “He was one of the greatest bosses I have ever had. He was a kind and generous person. He was not only kind and generous to his employees, but to everyone he came in contact with. If he could help you or make things easier for anyone, he would do it. The patrons that came into the Library everyday -- he made sure that we treated them with respect and fairness. He was admired by many people who knew him best. We worked closely together for 25 years until he became part of my family. He will be missed.”

Resolved, that the faculty of the University of Mississippi at its meeting on May 9, 2008 recognizes the many contributions of James Clyde Butler to the library, the University, its faculty and students, and to the scholarly community at large, and be it further

Resolved, that this resolution be entered among the minutes of the faculty and that a copy be forwarded to his family.