Alcorn president dies on campus

Alcorn State University President Clinton Bristow Jr. died late Saturday night on campus, two days before classes were scheduled to start, officials confirmed.

A student found Bristow, 57, on the campus track about 9 p.m. He was known to jog each night.

The student was unable to get a response from Bristow and immediately called campus police, Claiborne County Coroner J.W. Mallett said. "They attempted CPR," he said.

Bristow was named president of the university in Lorman on Aug. 24, 1995.

"It's disturbing to us, too, because we were just in a meeting with him today," said Jo Ella Walls, wife of the Alcorn outgoing alumni president.

Under Bristow's leadership, Alcorn has increased the number of students seeking professional degrees and has gained national attention for a large number of Russian students.

Founded in 1871, Alcorn is the nation's first state-supported university for black students. It had about 3,500 students last year.

Bristow's message to parents sending their sons and daughters to the historically black university in Claiborne County was one of success. He would tell parents that a student will have a job or admission to graduate school with an Alcorn degree.

Bristow held bachelor's, doctorate and law degrees from Northwestern University in Evanston, Ill., and a master's degree in business administration from Governors State University in University Park, Ill.

An autopsy was planned to determine how he died.