James passed away peacefully at age 84 in his Guilford, Connecticut, home on October 22, 2018.

He was born in rural Canada (Armstrong, BC) in 1934, and attended both college and medical school at UBC. Jim continued his career in science at the Rockefeller University, working with George Palade – an emerging leader in the then‑new discipline of cell biology – and received his doctorate degree in 1966. After doing post‑doctoral work with Palade at Rockefeller, Jim followed his mentor to Yale in 1973 to establish the Section of Cell Biology, and served as chairman of the Department of Cell Biology from 1983‑1992. He was director of the MD‑PhD training program for over 32 years. The concepts established by Jim’s work continue to serve as a fundamental paradigm of modern cellular biology.

He was elected to the presidency of the American Society for Cell Biology (1982‑1983), and received the Bohmfalk Prize for Basic Science Teaching (1999) and Teacher of the Year Award (2005).

He was a beloved scientist, husband, and father who will be greatly missed.