James W. von Brunn graduated from the University in 1943 with a journalism degree.

James von Brunn, 88, a resident of the Maryland eastern shore, entered the University in 1938 and received his bachelor’s degree in journalism in 1943.

During his time at the University, von Brunn was said to have been the president of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity and a varsity football player.

Administrators said the University has little information on the alumnus, and alumni relations has no record of contact with him in recent decades.

Shortly before 1 p.m. on Wednesday, von Brunn walked into the Holocaust Museum while carrying a “long gun” and immediately “opened fire on Special Police Officers (SPO’s) guarding the front entrance,” according to a D.C. Metropolitan Police Department press release.

Von Brunn fatally wounded SPO Stephen Tyrone Johns, 39, before von Brunn was injured by return fire from two other SPOs nearby.

D.C. Fire and Emergency Medical Services Department personnel transferred Johns and von Brunn to George Washington Memorial Hospital, where Johns was pronounced dead and von Brunn was admitted in critical condition.

Von Brunn is the author of an anti-Semitic Web site, holywesternempire.org, and the book “Kill the Best Gentiles.”

Law enforcement officials secured the Holocaust Museum in downtown Washington D.C. Wednesday afternoon after gunman James W. von Brunn fired shots upon entering the building, fatally wounding a security entrance guard.

He was sentenced to 11 years in prison for a 1981 incident in which he entered the Federal Reserve Board headquarters with a sawed-off shotgun, claimed to have planted a bomb in the building and threatened to hold board members hostage. He served six and a half years of the sentence.

The University issued a statement after the shooting, expressing condolences and emphasizing its commitment to human rights.

“The University has a long-standing commitment to human rights and religious studies, including the Holocaust and Jewish studies,” the statement read. “The University is deeply saddened by this event and our hearts go out to the victims of this unwarranted attack.”

Museum officials said the museum will be closed Thursday and its flags lowered to half-staff in honor of Johns.

Grant mentions in the introduction that her “highlight came when [her parents] began, spontaneously, talking about their pasts: retelling luscious stories of their youth and coming-of-age tale about college and drawing portraits of their social circle. Yet each account was tainted, almost invariably, by the racism they confronted as African Americans.” The book highlights many of these instances, some of them hilarious, others regretfully painful.

The book’s characterization as a civil rights text should not put off readers; it as much a tale of the struggle as it is the people, particularly Mr. Grant, and how he managed to neither suffer nor struggle but thrive during the mid-1900s.

Grant’s language is wonderfully down to earth, with well-placed artistic flourishes. There is a lot of information covered, including details of the life of both Grant’s grandparents, her parent’s incredible circle of friends and associates (including Cab Calloway and Thurgood Marshall) and her upbringing in a “white” neighborhood.

The plethora of information, however, is not necessarily organized well. The subjects stay within the context of the chapter but she tends to change subjects from paragraph to paragraph. This causes the flow of the history to feel patched and unchronological.

The story also contains confusing transitions, where the author draws upon outside source quotes from people who witnessed events. Otherwise, it is still navigable, and one should not shun this impressive recounting of a noble family in a difficult time.

Although the book is described as a biography of Grant’s father, the volume reads more like a memoir. Not to underestimate his fascinating legal career, but the book begins with his parents and ends with his children, as if his life began before him and will continue on with his children: The book was more about Grant’s own heritage than a simple story of her father.

Readers have the opportunity to pick up a copy of the book and meet Gail Milissa Grant for a lecture and book signing this Sunday, Oct. 19, at the Missouri History Museum at 1 p.m.