Deceased May 18, 2022
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In Memory
Jim passed away due to pancreatic cancer on May 18, 2022. He spent his early years in the Philippines, where his father was doing research on leprosy. They were POWs of the Japanese in World War II. After the war, Jim moved to Newton, Mass., where he went to high school. As an undergraduate, Jim was a stalwart on the swim team, worked on the Chest Drive, was in ROTC and majored in geology. He was a member of Kappa Theta fraternity.
Following graduation, Jim earned a master’s in geology from Boston University before taking his commission with the Air Force. For many years after discharge, Jim flew his own plane and became a flight instructor. He also flew for the Civil Air Patrol. His other interests included boating, fishing, hunting and spending time with family and friends. After his military service, Jim worked at the Mitre Corp. as a systems analysis engineer until his retirement in 1991.
In 1985 Jim moved to Mashpee on Cape Cod. There he became a committed volunteer for a variety of organizations. He was passionate about the environment and was an active water quality sampler for the Mashpee Waterways Commission from 1992 to 2007. Jim also served as assistant harbormaster.
Class reunions were a regular part of Jim’s continuing connection with Amherst College. He was part of a group of ’55 classmates, including Bob Allen, Addison Ault, Paul Helmreich, Al Marasco, Dave Lemal and John Hammond, who gathered with spouses on the Cape shortly after Labor Day each fall. They were called “The Fossils” and enjoyed barbecues on the beach while they reminisced about their “College Daze.”
Jim and Nina Leone married in November 1955. They had 64 years together until her death in 2019. They had no children.
Rob Sowersby ’55