The following memorial was posted online with the May 13, 2015, issue.
Jim died April 29, 1960, after drowning at Dillon Pool.
Jim came to Princeton from Tabor Academy in Marion, Mass., but he was a son of the West. Home was in Aspen, Colo., and the family had also lived in Santa Fe, N.M. His father, Fred, was a highly successful author who, under the name Luke Short, produced some 50 Western novels, several of which were made into movies. Classmates remember that Jim was also a talented writer and was enrolled in Princeton's creative writing program. In addition, he was a talented athlete who was a nationally ranked skier and rowed freshman crew.
During sophomore year, he was rooming with Vic Raiser, Forde Medina, and Monty Lewis. He was a member of the sophomore section at Ivy Club.
As The Daily Princetonian reported: "James Dilley Glidden '62 drowned in Dillon Pool while attempting to swim two lengths underwater. It is the first case of drowning in the university since 1918 ... A popular student, he was known on campus for being both strong-willed and good-humored. Besides his parents, survivors included a brother and sister."
His family and his many friends were devastated. Monty Lewis remembers Jim as "someone very special," with a wry sense of humor. Lewis also recalls Jim returning from spring vacation in Aspen in 1960 and announcing that he was through with skiing. He hated the growing emphasis on skiing fashions and on socializing. Jim had "something very special" about him, Monty recalls. "I think of him all the time."