The James Family
All-American Patriots
story by JENNIFER BROWN-CARENTER photos by JOHN WOLLWERTH
Erik James seems like your average, All-American teen. He attended Riverview Charter School from kindergarten to 7th grade, then transferred to Lady’s Island Middle School for a year to finish middle school. While at LIMS, he played football, ran track, maintained Honor Roll grades, and became a Junior Scholar. Now Erik is a rising sophomore at Beaufort High School, still playing football on the junior varsity team as a defensive back and recently elected as the Sophomore Class President. What makes Erik different from your average, All-American teen is the fact that an incredibly dynamic group is raising him — his mother, Ruth James; his auntie, Temberly James; and his grandparents, Sherman and Ada James.
Of the four adults in the James family, three served in the Armed Forces. Sherman, the patriarch of his family, was born and raised by his mother in Sumter, South Carolina. He joined the Navy in 1976, serving 25 years. He spent about 15 years in Charleston and was stationed in Beaufort in 1986 at the Naval Hospital, working here until 1989. Sherman took classes with Johnson and Wales University in the College of Hotel and Restaurant Management while serving in the Navy. When the James’s moved to Beaufort in 1986, they purchased a home on Lady’s Island, and that is where the family continued to live when Sherman was moved back to Charleston after 1989. Sherman was a Culinary Specialist, “a glorified name for a cook,” Sherman joked. He went from Charleston to Mississippi to Florida before eventually returning to Beaufort. He retired from the United States Navy in 2001 and worked the next 17 years at the Marine Corps Air Station until 2018.
Sherman and Ada grew up as next-door neighbors. They were not childhood sweethearts but were confidants, with Sherman sharing all his thoughts and secrets with Ada. Eventually, Sherman “wore Ada down,” and they married in 1978. Ada graduated with a bachelor’s in Theology from Joann Orr Ministries School of Biblical Studies in 2011 and completed her masters of Biblical Studies in 2020. Sherman and Ada have two daughters, the joy of their lives, whom Ada refers to as “the cream of the crop and the cream of the top.”
Their first daughter, a bouncing baby named Temberly, was born in September 1977. Temberly James planned to be the first of her family to go directly from high school to college. “I got to the University of South Carolina and quickly realized that I should not have gone to college.” She decided to join the military. She called an Air Force recruiter and an Army recruiter, and the Army got back to her first, so Temberly joined the Army. She served eight years, including two tours overseas in Kuwait and Iraq, and also traveled to Texas, Arizona, and Germany. Temberly enjoyed her time in the military, learning a lot about herself and meeting some of her closest friends with whom she still keeps in contact to this day. Temberly learned valuable life lessons about resiliency and overcoming obstacles. “I encourage people to serve, even if only for two years, because you learn so much about yourself and other people.” She graduated from St. Leo University with a bachelor’s degree and later received her master’s degree from Troy University. Temberly works for the federal government with the U.S. Environmental Protective Agency, continuing her public service on the civilian side of things.
Ruth Naomi James was born in Charleston in 1981. She remembers her family moving to Beaufort, where she attended Lady’s Island Elementary and Lady’s Island Middle School, graduating from Beaufort High School in 1999. Joining the military was an option that Ruth and one of her closest friends considered. They had planned to enter the buddy enlistment program, which would allow them to attend training together and land at the same duty station after graduating. Then, her friend got accepted to college, and Ruth applied and was accepted to Allen University two weeks before graduation. She attended Allen for two years before deciding she was ready to join the military. Ruth joined the Army after her father told her “you will never make it out of basic!” She proved him wrong, thrived, and became a Cook, wanting to be like her dad. “That was a dumb decision,” Ruth laughs. Ruth was stationed in Fort Hood, Texas, and did a tour in Iraq, serving for four years and completing her enlistment.
While in Texas, Ruth had her son, Erik James, which changed the whole family. She moved back to Beaufort, where she graduated from the University of South Carolina in Beaufort. She worked at Riverview Charter School, then worked for the federal government for two years, and is now the Parent Liaison at Lady’s Island Middle School. She also teaches yoga at Effervescence Yoga Spa and Studio. “Joining the military is how I can afford the life I live now. If I had never joined, I would not be able to provide my son with the life he has. When I talk to my son about whether or not he will join, the only requirement is that he finish college first.” Ruth thinks it is important for advancement with each generation of their family, and since none of them graduated college before joining the military, that is what she expects of Erik should he decide to join. Erik hopes to attend Morehouse College, Howard University, or Georgia Tech, majoring in Psychology and minoring in Videography.
Sherman, Temberly, and Ruth all live with PTSD. They sacrificed portions of their life for the service of this country. Erik says, “They are not the same people they were before they joined. It changed them. Ruth shares, “None of us could have survived any of the time we spent serving if it weren’t for Queen Ada. She served more than any of us.”
Ada is not interested in being praised, but she deserves credit for keeping the family going during the hard times. She took care of the girls while Sherman was away and made sure she sent care packages to her daughters while they were serving. Ada calls Erik the “love of her life,” and he calls her his “best friend.” Erik is also incredibly close to his grandfather, who taught him many things and has been one of the prominent figures in his life.
Thank you to the entire James family for your sacrifice, for allowing us to live an All-American life, and for the inspiration in raising Erik! He is living an All-AmErikan life.
