James Holt McGavran Jr.

James Holt McGavran, Jr CHARLOTTE - James Holt McGavran, Jr., Professor of English at UNC Charlotte and beloved husband of Dorothy Heissenbuttel McGavran, died at Carolinas Medical Center in the early hours of December 20, 2014, with family at his side. His loved ones are grateful that he passed without suffering, remaining his youthful, active self until the end, and they celebrate a life that touched and improved so many others' lives personally and professionally. Jim was devoted to his family and to Dorothy (Deje), his wife of forty-six years. He was a gentle, generous, and loving man who was not afraid to show his emotions, which frequently burst out of him in joyful or nostalgic tears when he spoke about the people and things he cared about. His fond and reverent memories of his parents and siblings and their vacations to the Leelanau Peninsula in northern Michigan were recently set down in his book In the Shadow of the Bear: A Michigan Memoir (Michigan State University Press, 2010). His pride in his children's accomplishments was evident to anyone who spoke to him for more than one minute, and his wife and family will remember a man who was supportive every day and dependable in any crisis. In his last three years, he experienced great joy reading to and playing the piano with his grandson, Vincent James Horning. Jim grew up in Columbus, Ohio, and earned a B.A. in English from the College of Wooster in 1963. After a year of teaching in a lyc‚e in Bordeaux, France, he completed an M.A. in English at Columbia University in 1965. He taught for two years at the College of William and Mary, where he met the love of his life, Deje. He returned to graduate school and finished his Ph.D. in English at UNC Chapel Hill in 1973. He then began a long, happy career at UNC Charlotte, where he taught for forty-one years. In 2006 he was the recipient of both the English Graduate Students Association Teaching Award and the campus-wide Bank of America Teaching Excellence Award. He was a born educator, treasured by students and colleagues alike for his kindness, infectious enthusiasm, and love for English literature, especially of the Romantic period. Jim's friends and loved ones will remember him as a brilliant and witty personality, a character with tremendous compassion. He learned from his father how to play piano and accordion, and he frequently regaled relatives and party guests with unforgettable renditions of classic songs like "Let the Rest of the World Go By" and "We'll Meet Again." Music was one of his greatest passions-he spent his whole life singing-and he served for many years as a choir member at Christ Episcopal Church and more recently St. Peter's Episcopal Church in Charlotte. His love for nature and the outdoors was reflected in lifelong interests in hiking and gardening. He spent part of his last morning planting pansies. Jim is survived by his wife; by his daughter Catherine McGavran Horning, her husband Andrew, and their son Vincent; by his son Mark D. McGavran and his girlfriend Fr‚d‚rique Laub‚pin; by his son James H. McGavran III and his wife Cherie Braden; by his brother Frederick J. McGavran, his wife Elizabeth, and their daughters Sarah and Marian; by his sister Mary McGavran Crabb, her husband John, and their children Rebecca, Frederick, and David; and by his dear friend Sharon Frazier and her family. He was preceded in death by his parents, James Holt McGavran (1994) and Marion Jaeger McGavran (2001). His place in the hearts of all who loved him is secure, but he will be dearly missed. A visitation will be held at Hankins & Whittington in Charlotte on Friday, December 26, from 5 to 7 p.m., and a funeral service will be held at St. Peter's Episcopal Church in downtown Charlotte at 3 p.m. on Saturday, December 27. In lieu of flowers, donations may be sent to Loaves and Fishes (loavesandfishes.org) or the Leelanau Conservancy leelanauconservancy.org. Arrangements are in the care of Hankins & Whittington Funeral Service; please share condolences online at www.hankinswhittington.com