James G. Faulconer Freedom Summer Report

James G. Faulconer was born in 1928 in Jackson, Mississippi. The Faulconer family moved to Winchester, Kentucky to farm in 1937. Rev. Faulconer lived in Kentucky for the remainder of his childhood and early adulthood, graduating in 1950 from Transylvania College in Lexington and in 1953 from Lexington Theological Seminary.

During the course of his career, Rev. Faulconer served several churches, including First Christian Church of Kettering (Disciples of Christ) in Kettering, Ohio, where he began as pastor in 1962. Following his tenure at Kettering, he worked as a Pastoral Counselor in the mental health system, and was director of the Shelby County Mental Health Clinic in Sidney, Ohio, for 13 years. He retired in 1990.

In the early 1960s, Rev. Faulconer developed an interest in civil rights, particularly after reading about racial inequalities prevalent in the South in an article in Harper’s Magazine. In late June 1964, he was inspired to travel with a friend to Memphis to begin training as a Freedom Summer volunteer. After training, they were sent to Canton, Mississippi to help with voter registration efforts. They served for two weeks in Canton before returning home to Kettering.