Alabama transplant James Muhammad feels at home in the studio at West Virginia Public Radio, where he serves as director of radio services. He started his public radio career in Tuscaloosa as a beat reporter and host of a classical music program.

"Public radio was not something ...

... I identified as embedded ...

... in the African-American community"

This picture shows Alabama Gov. George Wallace holding hands with James Muhammad and his father, James Williams (right), when the Stillman College Choir performed at the Alabama Governor's Mansion in 1984. Wallace stopped Muhammad, took his hand and struck up a conversation. "He stared at me and wouldn't let go of my hand," Muhammad said. He keeps the photo in his office as verification of his Alabama roots.

In the fourth grade, James Muhammad (then James Williams) went to Arcadia Elementary where his mother, Dorothy Williams, taught. The principal and her husband, Betty and Joe Pilegge, were West Virginia natives.

A photo from a 1989 edition of the Tuscaloosa News features James Muhammad (left) with three other members of the Stillman College Choir preparing for a Christmas concert. His father, James Williams, directs the choir. Muhammad changed his surname after college during a brief commitment to the Muslim faith.

A snapshot preserves memories of James Muhammed's visit to Giza, Egypt, with his father, James Williams.

9.25x6.49 MUHAMMAD1 James Muhammed, manager broadcast services for WV Public Radio INNERVIEWS Photo by chris dorst