An Illinois university is standing behind an award-winning psychology professor, despite the new revelation he gunned down his parents and sister when he was a teenager, spent time in a mental institution and changed his name.

Dr. James St. James, chair of Millikin University’s Department of Behavioral Sciences, joined the school in 1986, some two decades after he confessed to killing his mother, father and older sister with a .22 long-barrel rifle in Texas in 1967. A jury found the then-16-year-old — born James Gordon Wolcott — not guilty by reason of insanity and he was released six years later after being treated for paranoid schizophrenia. Two years later, in an attempt to restart his life, Wolcott changed his name to James David St. James.

James’ violent past was unknown to university officials until an expose by a Texas newspaper — the Georgetown Advocate — that revealed his troubled history in a series of reports last month. And despite calls by Decatur Mayor Mike McElroy and U.S. Rep. Rodney Davis, R-Ill., for James to either step down or be placed on administrative leave, university officials are backing the man who won its Teaching Excellence and Leadership Award in 1997.

“Millikin University has only recently been made aware of Dr. James St. James’ past,” the statement reads. “Given the traumatic experiences of his childhood, Dr. St. James’ efforts to build his life and obtain a successful professional career have been remarkable. The university expects Dr. St. James to teach at Millikin this fall.”

A spokesman told FoxNews.com Thursday that the liberal arts university would not be commenting beyond its statement issued last week and declined to discuss calls by Illinois lawmakers for the professor to leave the classroom.

“In all matters, Millikin University remains committed to its mission of delivering on the promise of education by preparing students for professional success, democratic citizenship in a global environment, and a personal life of meaning and value,” the statement concludes.

St. James, 61, declined to comment when reached early Thursday by FoxNews.com at his Decatur home.

“Have a wonderful day,” he said before hanging up.

McElroy, who did not respond to several messages seeking comment, told the Chicago Sun-Times that it would be the “right thing” for St. James to step down now that his past has been revealed.

Davis, who is also an alumnus of the 2,300-student university, said he’d like to see university officials act before Millikin University’s image is further sullied.

“My issue is I don’t want to see my alma mater have its reputation damaged,” Davis told the Chicago Sun-Times. “I’m a parent of a 16-year-old daughter who’ll have to choose a school in a few years. If my daughter said she wanted to be a psych major at Millikin, I hate to say, I’d have some concern.”

Davis, who graduated from the school in 1992 but did not have St. James as a professor, said he’d also like to know why St. James’ past wasn’t uncovered three decades ago when he was initially hired.

“At a minimum, they should put him on administrative leave to get to the bottom of why this wasn’t disclosed,” Davis continued. “I frankly don’t know why this guy would want to stay, especially with all the media attention he’s going to attract … Why bring the institution down?”

St. James, according to the Georgetown Advocate, was a brilliant teenager “by all accounts,” an accomplished musician and voracious reader. His father, Dr. Gordon Wolcott, was the respected head of the biology department at nearby Southwestern University; while his mother, Elizabeth, was a “vivacious” woman originally from South Carolina. His 17-year-old sister, Libby, was also known for her musical talent and affection for literature.

“They were exceptional people living what seemed to be a typical suburban life,” the newspaper reported Monday.

Minutes after midnight on Aug. 4, 1967, James, in his own account to reporter Ann Marie Gardner, “sniffed some airplane glue ‘to give him a boost’” and then loaded a .22-caliber long-barrel rifle before walking into the living room and shooting his father twice in the chest. He then shot his sister in the chest and face before doing the same to his mother, who was awakened by the initial gunshots.

“He later admitted that he had decided to kill them a week prior and made a plan the night before,” the Georgetown Advocate reports.

The Wolcotts' relatives from South Carolina arrived in Texas shortly after the killings. His uncle, according to the newspaper, concisely summed up his version of what happened.

“Jim has always been on the brilliant side, and he has gone berserk,” his relative said.

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/us/2013/08/10/illinois-university-standing-behind-professor-who-murdered-family-in-167/#ixzz2bhQ7vPaR

They have Weather Underground members on staff so why not Family Annihilators to.............

wow, a 16 year old went on to get a doctorate and teach at a university , IN SPITE of his juvenile past

what an atrocity,,,

And at 61 he is still actively defying his father.

Despite his murderous past.

some kids never grow up...

The title of this thread is misleading.

There is nothing typical about James St. James, and nothing in the OP mentions who in politics that James St. James supports.

So, I see the title of this thread as a feeble attempt to smear President Obama, who has nothing to do with James St. James. Once again, Obama Derangement Syndrome rears its ugly head.

God! I hate it when ODS rears it's ugly head...again!

I'm not a member of any political party, and I have never voted for Obama. I simply know the difference between criticizing his policies and looking for an excuse to tear him down.

I know. When one has ODS, it's hard to stop. He is totally incompetent though. See, I just can't stop.

A family annihilator who did not disclose to the school, the state or the department of education of his background.

I don't know ANY Liberal Arts professors who aren't a member of the Looney Left.

My point is this shows a pattern in Obama's corrupt home State of ILL of convicted felons and terrorists who are teaching at public schools.

what he disclosed or was required to disclose is between him and the school

Officials at the university say they are standing behind St. James, citing his leadership and many teaching awards. They call the rebuilding of his life remarkable and say he is expected to teach this fall.

According to the university's website, St. James received his undergraduate and master's degrees in Texas and earned his PhD at the University of Illinois.


. so I guess people can 'get over it', 'move on' and stop having this 'pointless' discussion,,,,,lol

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504083_162-57597652-504083/millikin-university-stands-behind-james-st-james-psych-professor-who-allegedly-killed-family-in-1967/

Psychopaths don't change, it is impossible! This guy in a cold calculated manner slaughtered his entire family. Because the prosecutor screwed up and didn't try him as an adult is beyond belief. He planned the perfect murder and how to get off.

At the very least he is a Diagnosed Skitso and right there that should and in most states does prohibit him from teaching.

and where did you get your psychiatric degree from?

is there any record SINCE That backs up your claim that 'psychopaths don't change'?

Read the article. He was diagnosed by doctors and it was accepted by the courts.

I did. Doctors also accepted that he was SANE enough to leave six years later.

According to the Chicago Tribune, court records cited by a Texas newspaper indicate the then-15-year-old sniffed airplane glue before the shooting and had paranoid schizophrenia. Jurors reportedly found him not guilty by reason of insanity and ordered him to a state hospital until he became sane. Six years later, he was released.

http://psychopathyawareness.wordpress.com/2011/02/15/why-psychopathy-is-incurable-nothing-can-fix-a-psychopath/

Whenever any discussion of criminal or deviant behavior takes place, the age-old debate between nature versus nurture tends to come up. The question thus arises: are psychopaths bad because of their social environment or are they born that way? The simple answer to this question is: they’re born that way and they can be made worse by a bad environment. Unfortunately, they can’t be made significantly better by anything at all. Psychological and sociological research shows that, in fact, psychopaths are much less influenced by their environment than non-psychopaths. This conforms with the general finding that psychopaths have rock solid egos, which are more or less immune to negative input. As we’ve seen, although they enjoy affirmation and praise, as all narcissists do, they don’t care when they’re criticized or punished. While a corrupt environment and abuse is unlikely to cause psychopathy, it can lead a psychopath to express his constitutive emotional callousness through violence."

No. People change all the time, and psychopaths, with treatment can change. That's pretty much the point of therapy. People also go the other way, from sane to crazy. Saying people cannot change just ignores facts and observations of psychology.

Also, crimes committed by minors don't usually affect eligibility for employment.

Anyway, I can't get upset about a guy who, after getting the help he needed, led a prosperous life, and paid his tax dollars instead of wasting tax dollars inside a prison, somewhere.

Those of us who believe that God is real also believe that God is able to change a person for the better, which may be the case here.