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IN LOVING MEMORY
Reverend James Otis Morehead
June 5, 1946 – May 23, 2026
On the morning of Saturday, May 23, 2026, Reverend James Otis Morehead was called home to be with the Lord just two weeks shy of his 80th birthday.
James was born on June 5, 1946, in Monroe, Louisiana, the oldest of eight children. Growing up with albinism presented its challenges, but he discovered early that the theater was a place where he could be anyone, go anywhere, and transcend the world’s limitations. The stage did not just welcome him — it set him free. At Carroll High School in Monroe, he was named Best Actor — a title that would prove prophetic. He went on to Grambling State University, where he majored in Theater Arts, became a proud member of the Omega Psi Phi fraternity, and claimed the Best Actor Award three consecutive years. The stage was his home.
His talent earned him a full-ride scholarship to New York University’s world-renowned performing, cinematic, and media arts school, The Tisch School of the Arts. He turned it down. When he and his beloved Jean found out they were expecting their first child in November 1969, James chose family without hesitation — and never looked back. Fatherhood of his two daughters was his greatest joy.
What followed was a career that touched generations. He taught Drama and Theater at Northwest Classen High School in Oklahoma City before earning his Master’s in Communications and Theater from Oklahoma State University. He returned to his beloved Grambling State as Theater Director and Speech Professor, where he wrote two original plays — The Crutch and Shades of Gray — works that have since been performed in cities across the country.
After two years teaching at Odessa Community College in Texas, James found his forever home on his birthday in 1984, when he walked through the doors of Anderson University as a Theater, Speech & Communications Professor. For 32 years, until his retirement in 2016, he directed unforgettable productions and brought the transformative power of the spoken word to thousands of students who credit him for giving them the confidence to express themselves.
His most important and favorite stage was the pulpit, serving as Pastor of the 38th Street Community Church of God in Indianapolis, naming it the church where everybody is somebody. That congregation would grow, move, and be reborn as Pasadena Heights Church of God on the city’s east side. His life’s purpose was service to others. He and his wife Jean were the epitome of old school pastors — visiting the sick and shut-in, walking into hospitals with the Bible in one hand and anointing oil in the other. He was deeply committed to spiritual growth, for himself and for everyone he served, retiring from the pulpit in October 2024 — but he never retired from always loving people.
Reverend Morehead was a proud member of NOAH — the National Organization for Albinism and Hypopigmentation — finding community and purpose among those who walked a similar path. He also authored The Brightest Star, a testament to a life lived fully in the light.
He was a man of deep convictions and simple pleasures — a lover of a good donut, and a man who appreciated a great story told well. The Godfather was his favorite movie — a masterclass in loyalty, consequence, and the weight of the choices we make. It was his wife Jean who ushered him into making the most important decision of his life: to commit himself to God, and to spend his days helping others do the same.
Reverend Morehead is survived by his college sweetheart, Jean Morehead. They just celebrated 58 years of marriage on April 28th. Also left to cherish his memory are his daughters, Andrea Morehead Allen (Archie Allen) and Amie Morehead; his grandson, Ean James Allen; and his sisters, Shirley, Sharon, Lucille, and Cecile. He is preceded in death by his mother, Aver Lee Morehead, and his brother, Henry Morehead.
He will be interred at Section 7, Block 7, Lot 7, Maplewood Cemetery — a resting place that could only have been ordained. Facing Byrum Hall, the Performing Arts Theater at Anderson University, where his own plays graced the stage and his students found their voices, James Otis Morehead takes his final bow in a place of perfect symmetry. Three sevens. The number of completion. Of perfection. Of divine rest.
“Well done, good and faithful servant.”