Former Greensboro mayor and Bryan Foundation president and CEO Jim Melvin was an early visionary supporter of the School of Law, establishing the downtown Greensboro campus in support of “a law school with a difference.” He died Aug. 10, 2025, at the age of 91.
On a visit to downtown Greensboro in 2004, former Greensboro mayor Jim Melvin walked Friendly Avenue alongside then-Elon University president Leo M. Lambert.
The two had developed a relationship around their shared interest in Elon establishing a law school, with Melvin — president and CEO of the Joseph M. Bryan Foundation, whose philanthropy promotes educational and economic opportunities in the Triad — encouraging the university consider a Greensboro location for its proximity to courts and law firms that would support experiential learning in the law.
Melvin pointed to the building at the corner of Friendly and North Greene Street that once served as the city’s public library.
“That’s your building,” Melvin told Lambert.
“And that was the moment,” Lambert recalled, “when it clicked and I thought, ‘This could work.’”
“He truly was ‘Mr. Greensboro,’” Lambert continued. “He was not only a former mayor, but as head of the Bryan Foundation, he was somebody who had a lot of investment capital to make the community better and stronger.”
Elon University and the School of Law remembered Melvin this week as a visionary philanthropist and regional leader who laid the foundation for what has become the premier law school for practical skills and experiential learning.
Melvin died Sunday, Aug. 10, 2025, at the age of 91. His funeral will be held Wednesday, Aug. 20, at 11 a.m. at West Market Street United Methodist Church, where he was a lifelong member.
He was instrumental in the 2004 founding of Elon Law, helping to secure the initial $10 million in funding needed to launch the school. Under his leadership, the Bryan Foundation contributed more than $17 million in cumulative support, establishing the Elon Law Distinguished Leadership Lecture Series and donating the title to the law school’s primary campus in downtown Greensboro.
“Jim Melvin’s impact on Elon University was significant. His leadership of The Joseph M. Bryan Foundation played a pivotal role in the establishment of Elon University School of Law in 2004. Under his guidance, the Foundation, joined by philanthropists across the community inspired by Jim’s vision, made it possible for Elon Law to transform downtown Greensboro into a hub of legal learning and leadership development.”
– Elon University President Connie Ledoux Book
Melvin served as Greensboro’s mayor from 1971-1981, the longest term in the city’s history, where he focused on education and economic development initiatives for greater prosperity in North Carolina’s third-largest city and the Triad region. His decades of cheerleading for his hometown earned him the nickname “Mr. Greensboro.”
A Greensboro native and 1958 graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Melvin began his career in banking, rising through the ranks at Central Carolina Bank over nearly four decades before retiring in 1996. His community involvement was equally long-standing. Before entering politics, he was president of the Greensboro Jaycees in the 1960s.
His longtime friendship with philanthropist Joseph M. Bryan led to the co-founding of the Bryan Foundation in 1997, where he focused on education, cultural enrichment and job creation.
It was in that role where Melvin had the most profound impact on Elon and Elon Law.
“Jim Melvin’s impact on Elon University was significant,” said Elon University President Connie Ledoux Book. “His leadership of The Joseph M. Bryan Foundation played a pivotal role in the establishment of Elon University School of Law in 2004. Under his guidance, the Foundation, joined by philanthropists across the community inspired by Jim’s vision, made it possible for Elon Law to transform downtown Greensboro into a hub of legal learning and leadership development. We are a stronger university because of Jim Melvin’s extraordinary generosity. His legacy will continue to benefit Elon University and the City of Greensboro for generations to come.”
Through the Bryan Foundation, Melvin helped Elon locate the law school in the former Greensboro Central Public Library building at 201 N. Greene St, leasing it to the university for $1 per year for a decade before transferring ownership. The H. Michael Weaver Building, now houses the Robert E. Long Courtroom, home of the North Carolina Business Court, inside the law school and offers students walkable access to several downtown federal and state courthouses.
“Jim was an optimist. Everything he accomplished was driven by his wanting things to become better and his belief that they would.”
– Elon University President Emeritus Leo M. Lambert
In 2005, Melvin received an honorary doctor of laws degree from Elon University in recognition of his efforts to establish Elon Law.
“Like so many people and institutions in Greensboro, Elon Law benefitted immensely from Jim Melvin’s vision for our community,” said Dean of Elon Law Zak Kramer. “He worked to tirelessly to promote service and leadership, always with clear understanding of how investments made today will shape a stronger city and community tomorrow.”
Apart from Elon Law, Melvin steered the Byran Foundation in support of major developments in Greensboro and the Triad: improvements to the Greensboro Coliseum Complex, which he supported the initial construction of as mayor, the creation of Center City Park, and the establishment of First National Bank Field, home of the Greensboro Grasshoppers.
“Jim was an optimist,” Lambert said. “Everything he accomplished was driven by his wanting things to become better and his belief that they would. You never heard Jim get sucked into a vortex of negativity and despair. That was not his style at all, and that’s who you need in a leader — someone who is forward thinking, optimistic, and always asking how the community can be better, how we can work together, how we can build bridges.”
Melvin and his wife, Susan, were also personal benefactors, supporting the School of Law Annual Fund and several endowed scholarships as members of Elon’s 1889 Society.
“From the law school’s beginning, Mr. Melvin was an incredible cheerleader and supporter of the school,” said Alan Woodlief, vice dean and professor of law. “He was excited by the prospect of having hundreds of young professionals studying law and living in Greensboro, and that vision has been realized with almost 450 Elon Law students enrolling in Elon Law each fall.”
The Melvins’ connection to the university extended to their granddaughter Molly ’22, who graduated with a degree in sport management and was an active member of the campus community.
Melvin remained a tireless champion for Greensboro and the Piedmont Triad until his passing.
“If you have a good idea, people want to be part of something exciting. They want to make a difference,” Melvin told audiences at a Joseph M. Bryan Distinguished Leadership Lecture in 2008. “I won’t be around to see it, but I truly believe in 20 years, Greensboro will be one of the most livable downtown, urban areas because of things like the Elon law school.”