James Otis Green

James Otis Green, Age 88, of Nashville, TN, passed away on February 22, 2026. James was born on April 15, 1937, at Cedar Grove in Tennessee. From an early age he learned the value of hard work, education, social justice, history, athleticism, and the arts. He excelled at Cameron Elementary and Pearl High School to earn his way into Fisk University. At Fisk, he became a talented historian, musician, scientist, and golfer. After his graduation in 1961, he was the first African American to earn a scholarship from a local corporation. This led him to Tennessee State University where he obtained his teaching credentials. However, due to his activism during the Civil Rights Movement, he wasn’t allowed to teach in the South. During this time, he traveled to South America as a professional singer with the John Work Chorale. Eventually, made the journey to Chicago, Illinois to teach high school science. While in Chicago, he met his wife, Lolita Rose Davenport. They married and had three children together. The entrepreneurial spirit in him took hold, leading him to open two gas stations and later become the owner of a car clinic. Many years later, he would leave Chicago and return to Nashville, where he opened the Southeastern Auto Supply and Repair shop. James was a builder, a craftsman, an architect. If it was broken, he could fix it. Along with his brother and sister, they rebuilt the family home, adding sheds and garages. After retirement, James and his sister, Nettie, started the Woolen-Stone Foundation to honor excellence in the family. Along with his sister Nettie, through a shared vision, he designed a final resting place: the Woolen-Stone Cemetery, a tribute to the ancestors. He dedicated himself to its maintenance and development up until the day he died. He is preceded in death by his parents, Leroy and Odesser Green; siblings Leroy, Clarence, Ann, Mardra, Nettie, Lloyd, Jean, Aubrey. He is survived by his children, Sharon Green-Powell, Aaron Green, and Erika Johnson; siblings Robert Houston, Oma, Odessa, Jessie, Harvell, and Audrey; he will be remembered by special grandsons, Jordan and Donovan Powell, eight additional grandchildren and three great grandchildren, and nephew James Davies. In lieu of flowers or monetary gifts, the family requests that you make a donation in the name of James Green (’61) to Fisk University. A private service will be held at a later time.

James Otis Green

April 15, 1937 - February 22, 2026