James A. Webb Jr., a Vanderbilt Board of Trust member since 1984 and a trustee emeritus since 2003, Jan. 8 at the Vanderbilt Medical Center at the age of 86. A memorial service was held Sunday afternoon at First Presbyterian Church in Nashville.

In addition to serving as an aviator for the Navy in World War II, Webb graduated from Vanderbilt University in 1947 with a degree in business administration. Recruited to play football for the Commodores, he lettered in basketball, football and track during his time at Vanderbilt. He was a member of both Omicron Delta Kappa and Phi Delta Theta fraternities. He received his graduate degree from Stonier Graduate School of Banking at Rutgers University.

Webb led a prominent banking career, holding several leadership positions at various Nashville banks. In 1988, he retired from Nashville City Bank after serving as chairman and CEO.

In honor of his service, the Dominion Bank of Middle Tennessee endowed a James A. Webb Jr. Award for Excellence in Teaching at the Owen Graduate School of Management at Vanderbilt. It is awarded annually to an outstanding Owen professor chosen by graduating students

In addition to his professional leadership role, Webb held leadership positions in many social and civic organizations in the Nashville community. Among these various organizations, he served as president of the Middle Tennessee Council of the Boy Scouts of America, the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce and the Nashville Better Business Bureau.

Webb continued to distinguish himself in the community and was honored with numerous awards including Volunteer of the Year from the Tennessee Division of the American Cancer Society, Distinguished Citizen of the Year from the Nashville Jaycees, and the Humanitarian Award from the National Conference of Christians and Jews.

Webb is survived by his wife Caroline Bartlett Webb, daughter Allison Bass, sons Jimmy Webb III and Billy Webb, six grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.

"Jimmy Webb's extraordinary life was intertwined with Vanderbilt from the time Bear Bryant recruited him to play football here until his untimely death," said Chancellor Nicholas Zeppos. "Vanderbilt benefited enormously from his talents and counsel over several decades. He will be missed."

Vanderbilt News Service contributed reporting to this article.