County Commissioner James W. Ford was a man of great dignity and honor who paid careful attention to the needs of his constituents and played a valuable role in government here for more than two decades, fellow commissioners and friends said Tuesday. Dr . Ford, 52, died about 1:30 a.m. Tuesday at Methodist Healthcare-South after a lengthy battle with cancer. He was a member of the politically influential Ford family. Although he was confined to a wheelchair, Dr. Ford served as commission chairman for the past year, missing only a meeting or two. After his one-year term as chairman ended in early September, he continued attending meetings, missing only the two most recent meetings after he became hospitalized about a month ago. He had undergone cancer surgery in New York in the 1980s when he was on the City Council. During his seven years on the commission, Ford seldom spoke out during meetings but when he did speak, it sometimes was with the emotion and tone of a committed minister. He was a physician, surgeon, ophthalmologist, businessman and pastor and founder of a South Memphis church, Fellowship Church of God in Christ. He obtained a law degree in New York but did not take the bar examination and did not practice law. During the past year, Dr. Ford was a strong advocate of building a new arena to lure the NBA's Grizzlies to Memphis. Dr. Ford was elected to the City Council in 1979, where he succeeded his older brother, state Sen. John Ford (D-Memphis), 59. He served on the council, and held the chairmanship there for more than two years, before winning election to the commission in 1994. He was re-elected in 1998. He was also the brother of former U.S. representative Harold Ford , City Council member Edmund Ford , former council member Joe Ford and former state representative Emmitt Ford. He was the uncle of U.S. Rep. Harold Ford Jr., who said he was "the backbone of the family in so many ways." County Mayor Jim Rout said, "He was a friend and had the best interests of the citizens at heart. I always found him to be a force for reasonable consensus and to be outspoken and effective in support of his constituents." Memphis Mayor Willie Herenton said, "He was a man of many talents and abilities and his loss will be great for his family and the Memphis community." Although the Fords are strong Democrats, Dr . Ford drew praise from both Republicans and Democrats on the commission. Morris Fair, a Republican who succeeded Dr. Ford as commission chairman, said Dr. Ford "exemplified dignity and honor but above all, he was a man of great faith and devotion to God. He was a strong chairman and provided leadership essential to the entire NBA decision process. . . . He will be sorely missed." Commissioner Buck Wellford, another Republican, said, "I think he was a real gentleman and I mean that literally as well as figuratively. He was a lot different than I thought he was going to be. "I think that he had tremendous influence for someone who rarely asserted himself publicly and I really appreciated the opportunity to get to know him. I think the community suffered a real loss." Commissioner Julian Bolton, a Democrat who is politically close to the Ford family, said that like all of the Ford brothers who are involved in public life, James Ford "was multitalented, had high energy and was skilled." We are going to miss him and miss his strength on the commission," Bolton said. Commissioner Cleo Kirk, another Democrat, said he had known Dr. Ford for more than 30 years and the two were close friends. "I found that he had no weakness in his character and his personality," Kirk said. "He was a good person. He was dependable. If he had a chore to do, he did it." Another Democrat, Commissioner Walter Bailey said Dr. Ford was a "dear friend as well as a colleague." He said Ford frequently called him on issues seeking input and at times they would discuss issues late into the night. "He took his commission responsibilities very conscientiously," Bailey said. "He was always compassionate and caring." Calvin Williams, the commission's chief administrator, said Dr. Ford often wrote personal checks to aid people whose utilities had been cut off or buy food when they didn't have food. Dr. Ford founded Children's Palace Learning Academy day care centers in 1994. By 1999, the business had become the second-largest day care operation in Shelby County, receiving $2.1 million in state funds. On July 21, 1999, a 22-month-old girl died when she was left all day in a stifling van at the Children's Palace on Chelsea. Dr. Ford, describing the child's death as "devastating," told a reporter afterward: "The worst day I ever had in my life was yesterday." His ownership of the centers also drew attention during the controversy involving Cherokee Children and Family Services, the state's former exclusive agent in screening low-income families to participate in government-funded day care. Dr. Ford said he was convinced that Children's Palace had not received any preferential treatment. Last year, a federal judge dismissed a lawsuit, tossing out civil fraud and racketeering allegations against him and others. Dr. Ford graduated from Mitchell High School and Tennessee State University. He received his medical degree from Columbia University's College of Physicians and Surgeons and did his medical residency at New York's Harlem Hospital. He also attended the Union and American Baptist theological seminaries. Services will be at 1:30 p.m. Sunday at Bountiful Blessings Temple of Deliverance Church of God in Christ. Burial will be in Memorial Park with N. J. Ford & Sons Funeral Home, the family funeral home, in charge. He also leaves a son, James Ford Jr. of Nashville; four sisters, Barbara Ford of Piedmont, N.Y., Joyce Ford Miller and Ophelia Ford , both of Memphis, and Vera Ford of Detroit, and two other brothers, Melvin Ford of Memphis and Lewis Ford of Pasadena, Calif. Memorials may be sent to to the N.J. and Vera D. Ford Scholarship Endowment Fund at LeMoyne-Owen College or the American Cancer Society Dr . James W. Ford Memorial Fund at 1378 Union. (Published in The Commercial Appeal 11/28/2001)