James C. Carmichael ’71

Jim died July 30, 2020, of complications from cancer.

Jim came to Princeton from Columbia High School in South Carolina. He majored in music and piano performance at Princeton and gave several student recitals. Jim studied under John Kenneth Adams, Robert Miller, and the famed Robert Helps.

In 1973 he married Renata Simon of Gengenbach, Germany, and they relocated to Berkeley, Calif., in 1974. They divorced in 1983 but remained close friends. In the late 1970s, Jim moved to Oakland, Calif., and earned a master’s degree in music from Mills College, studying piano with Bernhard Abramowitsch.

While maintaining his own teaching studio, Jim was principal accompanist for students of noted East Bay cello instructors Milly Rosner and Anne Crowden. His home on Chabot Road, equipped with two grand pianos, was often the site of chamber music soirees. Though he taught piano continuously for 45 years, he also worked as an IT system administrator for engineering companies and a health insurance company from 1997 to 2009.

Jim was a dedicated runner, hiker, and skier until his seven-year, life-ending battle with glioblastoma and sequelae. Throughout his life, Jim maintained his wonderful sense of humor and avid interest in reading on every imaginable subject. The class extends condolences to his sister Sally Thompson, brother Paul, godson Eli McAmis, and other friends and family.