James David Koerner

James David Koerner

Greenville

James David Koerner, former Vice President of the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation and Senior Consultant for the Esther A. and Joseph Klingenstein Fund, both in New York City, died on Tuesday, June 30, 2015 at the age of 92.

Born in Iowa in 1923, he was a fighter pilot instructor for the Army Air Corp during WWII. He earned a PhD from Washington University in St. Louis, followed by postdoctoral work at Harvard University as a Ford Foundation Fellow. He joined the humanities faculty at MIT, and later helped create the Council on Basic Education in Washington, D.C., serving as its first President. Dr. Koerner spent six years writing for private foundations, which led to a number of published books and articles, among them, The Miseducation of American Teachers, a national best seller.

A resident of Greenville, SC, he is survived by his wife, Jerry Ann Koerner; a sister, Jen Mooney of Hilton Head Island; a stepson, John Hamlett Barker of Westfield, NJ., his wife, Alicia, and their children, Ethan and Annabel; a sister-in-law and brother-in-law, Pamela and Larry Granville of Greenville; and a niece, Lindsey Granville of Greenville.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in his memory to the Greenville County Museum of Art, 420 College Street, Greenville, SC 29601. Services will be held privately for the family.