James R. Watson, of Oak Ridge, died Monday, Oct. 1, 2007, at the age of 92. He lived life to its fullest, even up to the summer preceding his death when he traveled to Florida to dance at a family wedding, and to New England, where he took a cruise.
Jim was born in Waterloo, Iowa, on June 23, 1915, to James and Elizabeth (Stapleton) Watson. His mother, "Bessie," was born in East Pittsburgh, Tenn. The first of his family to go to college, he worked many jobs to pay for his education, graduating from Cornell College with a B.A. There he met Virginia Van Bibber, whom he dated for five years before marrying. She preceded him in death in 2003 at which time they'd been married for 64 years.
Jim and Virginia first lived in New York City where Jim graduated from Columbia University with a master's degree in political science and public administration. Jim worked for the National Labor Relations Board in Puerto Rico. The family lived in Puerto Rico for five years, and there they became permanently smitten with the Spanish language and Latin cultures. Before they left in 1948, Jim became the founding director of the School of Public Administration at the University of Puerto Rico.
From 1949-1966, Jim was the executive director of the National Civil Service League in New York City during which time he was influential in shaping federal civil service (Jimmy Carter later signed into law a bill that Jim had drafted) and during which he met with current and future presidents, including Truman, Kennedy and Nixon. From 1959-1960, the family lived in Madrid, Spain — Jim had been hired by the Spanish government to create a school in public administration.
From 1964-1966, the family lived in Lima, Peru, while Jim Watson worked for US AID to set up another school of public administration, where he met the Peruvian president, Fernando Belaunde Terry.
Returning to the U.S., Jim was hired as a full professor at Rutgers University and later became a vice president for Federal Relations for the land-grant University.
During his life and even in retirement, Jim and his wife traveled all over the world and through all 50 states. Besides their love of Spanish-speaking countries, they were interested in people of all walks of life and corners of the earth. He was proud of the list of countries to which they'd traveled: Argentina, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, China, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, England, France, Germany, Greece, Guatemala, Holland, Honduras, Hong Kong, Iran, Italy, Japan, Lichtenstein, Luxembourg, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Russia, Scotland, Spain, Switzerland, and Turkey.
Jim will be remembered for his irrepressible optimism and his gentle demeanor. He appreciated the ladies and loved to dance.
Jim will be greatly missed by his four daughters, Jinx Watson (Martha Deaderick) of Kingston, Tenn., Jane Davenport (Ed Davenport) of New York, N.Y., Linda Watson (Cheryl Grinager) of Bainbridge Island, Wash., and Ellen Watson (Ellie Elderbroom) of Puyallup, Wash. Grandchildren include Rachel Estes (Lane Estes) of Birmingham, Ala., and Jake Morrill (Molly Morrill) of Oak Ridge, Tenn., along with Katie and Jonathan Davenport, and Jeremy and Sarah Elderbroom. Great-grandchildren include Virginia Estes, Isabel Estes, Lydia Estes and Gus Morrill. He also will be missed by many people at the Oak Ridge Retirement Center, especially his loving friend, Krystal Massey.
Services to celebrate the life of Jim Watson will be held on Saturday, Oct. 6, 2007, at 1 p.m. at the Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church, 1500 Oak Ridge Turnpike, stop light No. 11.
In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts may be made to the Watsons' favorite charity, "Teaching Tolerance" of the Southern Poverty Law Center, 400 Washington Ave., Montgomery, AL 36104.
Oak Ridger, The (TN) - Wednesday, October 3, 2007
Jim was born in Waterloo, Iowa, on June 23, 1915, to James and Elizabeth (Stapleton) Watson. His mother, "Bessie," was born in East Pittsburgh, Tenn. The first of his family to go to college, he worked many jobs to pay for his education, graduating from Cornell College with a B.A. There he met Virginia Van Bibber, whom he dated for five years before marrying. She preceded him in death in 2003 at which time they'd been married for 64 years.
Jim and Virginia first lived in New York City where Jim graduated from Columbia University with a master's degree in political science and public administration. Jim worked for the National Labor Relations Board in Puerto Rico. The family lived in Puerto Rico for five years, and there they became permanently smitten with the Spanish language and Latin cultures. Before they left in 1948, Jim became the founding director of the School of Public Administration at the University of Puerto Rico.
From 1949-1966, Jim was the executive director of the National Civil Service League in New York City during which time he was influential in shaping federal civil service (Jimmy Carter later signed into law a bill that Jim had drafted) and during which he met with current and future presidents, including Truman, Kennedy and Nixon. From 1959-1960, the family lived in Madrid, Spain — Jim had been hired by the Spanish government to create a school in public administration.
From 1964-1966, the family lived in Lima, Peru, while Jim Watson worked for US AID to set up another school of public administration, where he met the Peruvian president, Fernando Belaunde Terry.
Returning to the U.S., Jim was hired as a full professor at Rutgers University and later became a vice president for Federal Relations for the land-grant University.
During his life and even in retirement, Jim and his wife traveled all over the world and through all 50 states. Besides their love of Spanish-speaking countries, they were interested in people of all walks of life and corners of the earth. He was proud of the list of countries to which they'd traveled: Argentina, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, China, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, England, France, Germany, Greece, Guatemala, Holland, Honduras, Hong Kong, Iran, Italy, Japan, Lichtenstein, Luxembourg, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Russia, Scotland, Spain, Switzerland, and Turkey.
Jim will be remembered for his irrepressible optimism and his gentle demeanor. He appreciated the ladies and loved to dance.
Jim will be greatly missed by his four daughters, Jinx Watson (Martha Deaderick) of Kingston, Tenn., Jane Davenport (Ed Davenport) of New York, N.Y., Linda Watson (Cheryl Grinager) of Bainbridge Island, Wash., and Ellen Watson (Ellie Elderbroom) of Puyallup, Wash. Grandchildren include Rachel Estes (Lane Estes) of Birmingham, Ala., and Jake Morrill (Molly Morrill) of Oak Ridge, Tenn., along with Katie and Jonathan Davenport, and Jeremy and Sarah Elderbroom. Great-grandchildren include Virginia Estes, Isabel Estes, Lydia Estes and Gus Morrill. He also will be missed by many people at the Oak Ridge Retirement Center, especially his loving friend, Krystal Massey.
Services to celebrate the life of Jim Watson will be held on Saturday, Oct. 6, 2007, at 1 p.m. at the Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church, 1500 Oak Ridge Turnpike, stop light No. 11.
In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts may be made to the Watsons' favorite charity, "Teaching Tolerance" of the Southern Poverty Law Center, 400 Washington Ave., Montgomery, AL 36104.
Oak Ridger, The (TN) - Wednesday, October 3, 2007
James R. Watson, of Oak Ridge, died Monday, Oct. 1, 2007, at the age of 92. He lived life to its fullest, even up to the summer preceding his death when he traveled to Florida to dance at a family wedding, and to New England, where he took a cruise.
Jim was born in Waterloo, Iowa, on June 23, 1915, to James and Elizabeth (Stapleton) Watson. His mother, "Bessie," was born in East Pittsburgh, Tenn. The first of his family to go to college, he worked many jobs to pay for his education, graduating from Cornell College with a B.A. There he met Virginia Van Bibber, whom he dated for five years before marrying. She preceded him in death in 2003 at which time they'd been married for 64 years.
Jim and Virginia first lived in New York City where Jim graduated from Columbia University with a master's degree in political science and public administration. Jim worked for the National Labor Relations Board in Puerto Rico. The family lived in Puerto Rico for five years, and there they became permanently smitten with the Spanish language and Latin cultures. Before they left in 1948, Jim became the founding director of the School of Public Administration at the University of Puerto Rico.
From 1949-1966, Jim was the executive director of the National Civil Service League in New York City during which time he was influential in shaping federal civil service (Jimmy Carter later signed into law a bill that Jim had drafted) and during which he met with current and future presidents, including Truman, Kennedy and Nixon. From 1959-1960, the family lived in Madrid, Spain — Jim had been hired by the Spanish government to create a school in public administration.
From 1964-1966, the family lived in Lima, Peru, while Jim Watson worked for US AID to set up another school of public administration, where he met the Peruvian president, Fernando Belaunde Terry.
Returning to the U.S., Jim was hired as a full professor at Rutgers University and later became a vice president for Federal Relations for the land-grant University.
During his life and even in retirement, Jim and his wife traveled all over the world and through all 50 states. Besides their love of Spanish-speaking countries, they were interested in people of all walks of life and corners of the earth. He was proud of the list of countries to which they'd traveled: Argentina, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, China, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, England, France, Germany, Greece, Guatemala, Holland, Honduras, Hong Kong, Iran, Italy, Japan, Lichtenstein, Luxembourg, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Russia, Scotland, Spain, Switzerland, and Turkey.
Jim will be remembered for his irrepressible optimism and his gentle demeanor. He appreciated the ladies and loved to dance.
Jim will be greatly missed by his four daughters, Jinx Watson (Martha Deaderick) of Kingston, Tenn., Jane Davenport (Ed Davenport) of New York, N.Y., Linda Watson (Cheryl Grinager) of Bainbridge Island, Wash., and Ellen Watson (Ellie Elderbroom) of Puyallup, Wash. Grandchildren include Rachel Estes (Lane Estes) of Birmingham, Ala., and Jake Morrill (Molly Morrill) of Oak Ridge, Tenn., along with Katie and Jonathan Davenport, and Jeremy and Sarah Elderbroom. Great-grandchildren include Virginia Estes, Isabel Estes, Lydia Estes and Gus Morrill. He also will be missed by many people at the Oak Ridge Retirement Center, especially his loving friend, Krystal Massey.
Services to celebrate the life of Jim Watson will be held on Saturday, Oct. 6, 2007, at 1 p.m. at the Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church, 1500 Oak Ridge Turnpike, stop light No. 11.
In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts may be made to the Watsons' favorite charity, "Teaching Tolerance" of the Southern Poverty Law Center, 400 Washington Ave., Montgomery, AL 36104.
Oak Ridger, The (TN) - Wednesday, October 3, 2007
Jim was born in Waterloo, Iowa, on June 23, 1915, to James and Elizabeth (Stapleton) Watson. His mother, "Bessie," was born in East Pittsburgh, Tenn. The first of his family to go to college, he worked many jobs to pay for his education, graduating from Cornell College with a B.A. There he met Virginia Van Bibber, whom he dated for five years before marrying. She preceded him in death in 2003 at which time they'd been married for 64 years.
Jim and Virginia first lived in New York City where Jim graduated from Columbia University with a master's degree in political science and public administration. Jim worked for the National Labor Relations Board in Puerto Rico. The family lived in Puerto Rico for five years, and there they became permanently smitten with the Spanish language and Latin cultures. Before they left in 1948, Jim became the founding director of the School of Public Administration at the University of Puerto Rico.
From 1949-1966, Jim was the executive director of the National Civil Service League in New York City during which time he was influential in shaping federal civil service (Jimmy Carter later signed into law a bill that Jim had drafted) and during which he met with current and future presidents, including Truman, Kennedy and Nixon. From 1959-1960, the family lived in Madrid, Spain — Jim had been hired by the Spanish government to create a school in public administration.
From 1964-1966, the family lived in Lima, Peru, while Jim Watson worked for US AID to set up another school of public administration, where he met the Peruvian president, Fernando Belaunde Terry.
Returning to the U.S., Jim was hired as a full professor at Rutgers University and later became a vice president for Federal Relations for the land-grant University.
During his life and even in retirement, Jim and his wife traveled all over the world and through all 50 states. Besides their love of Spanish-speaking countries, they were interested in people of all walks of life and corners of the earth. He was proud of the list of countries to which they'd traveled: Argentina, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, China, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, England, France, Germany, Greece, Guatemala, Holland, Honduras, Hong Kong, Iran, Italy, Japan, Lichtenstein, Luxembourg, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Russia, Scotland, Spain, Switzerland, and Turkey.
Jim will be remembered for his irrepressible optimism and his gentle demeanor. He appreciated the ladies and loved to dance.
Jim will be greatly missed by his four daughters, Jinx Watson (Martha Deaderick) of Kingston, Tenn., Jane Davenport (Ed Davenport) of New York, N.Y., Linda Watson (Cheryl Grinager) of Bainbridge Island, Wash., and Ellen Watson (Ellie Elderbroom) of Puyallup, Wash. Grandchildren include Rachel Estes (Lane Estes) of Birmingham, Ala., and Jake Morrill (Molly Morrill) of Oak Ridge, Tenn., along with Katie and Jonathan Davenport, and Jeremy and Sarah Elderbroom. Great-grandchildren include Virginia Estes, Isabel Estes, Lydia Estes and Gus Morrill. He also will be missed by many people at the Oak Ridge Retirement Center, especially his loving friend, Krystal Massey.
Services to celebrate the life of Jim Watson will be held on Saturday, Oct. 6, 2007, at 1 p.m. at the Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church, 1500 Oak Ridge Turnpike, stop light No. 11.
In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts may be made to the Watsons' favorite charity, "Teaching Tolerance" of the Southern Poverty Law Center, 400 Washington Ave., Montgomery, AL 36104.
Oak Ridger, The (TN) - Wednesday, October 3, 2007
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