Services for Former JSU Professor
Dr. Jackson Selman Today at 4

Services for Dr. Jackson Wiley Selman, 83, Jacksonville, will be at 4 p.m., on Wednesday, August 1, 2007, at Jacksonville First United Methodist Church with Dr. Bill Etheridge officiating. The family will receive friends at the church, from 2 to 4 p.m., prior to the service. Burial will be at Jacksonville City Cemetery. Gray Brown-Service Mortuary is in charge of arrangements. Dr. Selman died on Saturday, July 28, 2007, at Brookwood Medical Center in Birmingham.

Dr. Selman was preceded in death by his wife, Betty Jane Young Selman; two brothers, Martin Vanoy Selman and Thomas Kern Selman; and one sister, Melba Selman Robinson.

Survivors include three sons, Thomas Lee (Deborah) Selman, of Gulf Shores, Scott Young (Diane) Selman of Birmingham, and John Irvin (Penny) Selman, of Signal Mountain, Tenn.; seven grandchildren, Jackson Lee (Chastity) Selman, Wendy Anne Selman, Benjamin Thomas Selman, Brian Andrew Selman, Kate Elizabeth Selman, Sydney Jane Selman, and Allie Charles Selman; one great-grandchild, Nikolas Matney; and several nieces and nephews.

Dr. Selman was a native of Gadsden and the son of the Rev. Thomas Lee Selman and Sallie Sims Selman. He was Professor Emeritus of political science at Jacksonville State University and served as chairman of the Political Science Department for many years prior to his retirement in 1986. Dr. Selman was the faculty sponsor of SCOAG (Student Conference on American Government), an annual event for many years on the campus of Jacksonville State. Dr. Selman earned his bachelor of science, master of arts, and law degree from the University of Alabama, and his Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of North Carolina.

He taught at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and Georgia State University before coming to Jacksonville State University in 1958. Dr. Selman was a World War II Veteran, serving in both the European and Pacific theaters of operation. After World War II, he joined the reserves and was active for several years. Dr. Selman served on the Jacksonville City Planning Commission for ten years and was chairman for the last seven years. Dr. Selman was a member of the Jacksonville First United Methodist Church since 1958. He previously served as the Chairman of the Board of Stewards (Church Council) and was a member of the Friendship Sunday School Class.

Dr. Selman frequently taught various adult Sunday school classes. He held memberships in the National Education Association, the Alabama Education Association, the Calhoun County Education Association, the Alabama Retired Teachers Association, the American Association of Retired Persons, and Southern Political Science Association. Dr. Selman was very interested in environmental issues and wildlife conservation. He was a member of the Audubon Society, the Sierra Club, the World Wildlife Fund, the Wilderness Society, the Nature Conservancy of Alabama, the Humane Society of the United States, the National Parks Conservation Association, the National Wildlife Federation, the Great Smoky Mountains Association, and the Anniston Museum.

Pallbearers will be Glen Browder, Wayne Dempsey, Jerry Gilbert, Gene Rhodes, Peter Robinson, and James Williams. Honorary pallbearers will be members of the Friendship Sunday school class and members of the Jacksonville State University Political Science Department.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Jacksonville First United Methodist Church (P.O. Box 1025, Jacksonville, AL 36265), United Methodist Pastoral Care and Counseling (1313 Alford Avenue, Birmingham, AL 35226), or the charity of your choice.

---

Submit items for news releases by using the request form at www.jsu.edu/newswire/request.