A fine local scholar and athlete from Summit (N.J.) High School, at Princeton he ate at Quad and earned honors under Orley Ashenfelter in economics. A longtime musician, he also laid the basis for his groundbreaking work in arts education on electric bass in our renowned campus band Tyger Dynasty, which played throughout the East.
After earning a Ph.D. at Stanford, Jim went to UCLA in 1981, where he became internationally renowned for his work in the cognitive effects of music and the arts on education, as seen in the title of his 2009 book, Doing Well and Doing Good by Doing Art. He was a Princeton career adviser for many years. Meanwhile, Tyger Dynasty re-formed, began playing charity gigs around the country in 2010, and recorded a reunion CD.
He is survived by his wife, Rebecca; his children Lisa, Hannah, and Grady; his brother William; and four grandchildren.
The three remaining members of Tyger Dynasty, Steve Tracy ’69, Bud Fairlamb ’69, and Tex Biertuempfel ’70 — Jim’s friend since grammar school — played at his memorial service. We will miss the music, but we will all remember Jim’s spirit.