Norfolk City Virginia USGenWeb Archives Obituaries.....Etheridge, James Edward, Sr. February 16, 1982
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Robert Woolfitt http://www.genrecords.net/emailregistry/vols/00034.html#0008401 July 28, 2025, 4:22 pm

Virginian-Pilot February 18, 1982
NORFOLK — James Edward (Chip) Etheridge, a key figure in the revitalization and 
reshaping of downtown Norfolk, died Tuesday in Norfolk General Hospital. 
Etheridge, 84, was a commissioner of the Norfolk Redevelopment and Housing 
Authority for nearly 30 years, longer than any other person. He was NRHA vice 
chairman from 1942 until his retirement in 1970.
Upon his retirement, he was called a "trailblazer in city renewal."
Etheridge was president of the Etheridge-Baylor-Hofheimer Inc. realty firm in 
Norfolk for more than 50 years. He lived at 707 Pembroke Towers.
"He was a very important cog in the machine" that put a new face on Norfolk, 
said former NRHA Chairman Charles L. Kaufman, who was reached in Palm Beach, 
Fla. "His service was of incalculable value, particularly since he was one of 
the real estate crowd, a group that was opposed to redevelopment when it 
started. He was one of the first Realtors to support the program of the 
authority, and ultimately he got support for it from other Realtors."
Kaufman said that while Etheridge's principal contribution to Norfolk was as a 
member of the redevelopment authority, "he was interested and active in all city 
matters. You could always depend on him to do what had to be done. He had a vast 
number of friends and acquaintances."
Former Mayor Roy B. Martin Jr. said: "He was a very dedicated citizen and his 
imprint is left with all the redevelopment and housing we see from his years of 
service to Norfolk."
The city cited Etheridge for years of outstanding service when he stepped down 
from the authority in 1970 to make way for younger people to carry on the 
revitalization of the old port city. Kaufman noted that only five people served 
on the NRHA board during that first 30 years, and Martin said that all of them 
working as a team helped remake downtown Norfolk.
Etheridge was named a commissioner of the Norfolk Housing Authority, later to 
become the Norfolk Redevelopment and Housing Authority, Sept. 5, 1940, about two 
months after the organization was formed. He was vice chairman from Oct. 1, 
1942, until he retired in April 1970. During that time, a 1,239-acre urban 
renewal program costing $100 million had been carried out and more than 5,300 
public housing units established. Total investment of public and private funds 
in redevelopment has been estimated at $400 million.
Etheridge was a native of Norfolk, the son of Fanny Santos and James E. 
Etheridge, who was in the lumber business.
He was educated at Episcopal High School, Alexandria, and the Law School of the 
University of Virginia. He was admitted to the Virginia State Bar in 1918. He 
served in the Army during World War I.
His first job was with the real estate firm of Woodard & Joynes Inc. In 1932 he 
formed a partnership with R.P.W. Baylor, a firm that later became Etheridge-
Baylor-Hofheimer.
He was a former president of the Norfolk Real Estate Board and former president 
of Virginia Real Estate Association.
He was a member of Christ and St. Luke's Episcopal Church and was a former 
junior and senior warden and a former vestryman. He was also a former board 
member of the Ballentine Home, among many other civic and philanthropic 
organizations.
He was a member of the Delta Kappa Epsilon fraternity and Phi Delta Phi Legal 
Fraternity. He was a member of the Secret Seven Society, a philanthropic 
association at the University of Virginia, whose membership is kept secret until 
a member dies.
He was a member of the Norfolk Yacht and Country Club and a former member of the 
Princess Anne Country Club and The Hague Club.
Etheridge is survived by his widow, Mary Stuart Gooch Etheridge, and a son, Dr. 
James E. Etheridge Jr., of Norfolk.
A funeral service will be held at noon today at Christ and St. Luke's Episcopal 
Church with the Rev. James E. Samuel Jr. officiating. Burial will be in Elmwood 
Cemetery. H.D. Oliver Funeral Apartments is in charge of arrangements.
The family, which will be at 1428 Daniel Ave., Norfolk, requests that memorials 
be made to Children's Hospital of the King's Daughters or Christ and St. Luke's 
Episcopal Church.


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