James R. Monahan ’56

Jim died Jan. 26, 2025.

He came to Princeton from Phillips Exeter, where he played soccer, which he continued as a Tiger starter for three years and was captain in his senior year. Jim majored in economics, joined Ivy Club, and played goalie for the ice hockey squad. As an Army ROTC graduate, he spent a year on active duty in Fort Sill, Okla., before marrying his first wife, Elizabeth Forgy; joining the insurance firm Marsh McLennan; and earning his CPCU designation. In 1960, the family moved to Atlanta, which became his permanent home and backyard tennis court venue for years of mixed doubles with his second wife, Elaine, an Emory and Arts Institute of Atlanta graduate who pursued a career in interior design.

Later years brought moves to the mountains of North Carolina, to Southern Vermont’s hills, and back to Flat Rock, N.C.

After Elaine died in 2023, Jim moved down to Peachtree City, Ga., to be near his daughters Elizabeth Cowdery and Ann Baum along with stepchildren Leslie, Tinsley, and David and five grandchildren who survive him.