James Lee-Stanfield-Obituary

James Lee Stanfield

Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania

Sep 21, 1937 – Oct 13, 2023

About

BORN
September 21, 1937
DIED
October 13, 2023
LOCATION
Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania

Obituaries

Send Flowers

Veteran National Geographic Photographer James Lee Stanfield, 86, Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, died on Friday, October 13, following a yearlong battle with lung cancer and kidney disease. Born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on September 21, 1937, he was the son of the late Harold W. Stanfield and...

Read More

Guest Book

Not sure what to say?

remember the very friendly photographer James, whom we met in the oldest restaurant in Prague "U Fleku". He photographed our band Svejk music for an article about the velvet divorce of Czechoslovakia (September 1993). Honor to his memory!!!!!Josef Jehlík,adres:Nemcice 345 06 Kdyne,Czech republik

Jim and I met almost sixty years ago aboard a Mississippi river boat. I was with the Toledo Blade and Jim was at the Milwaukee Journal. Soon we were both staff photographers at National Geographic. During one summer of those early platinum years Jim was my diving partner on a 200 feet dive during an intensive two week underwater class. Later we flew together to China before it opened to westerners. In the late 1960´s he lived near me in Arlington, Virginia. We always laughed recalling...

Jim was such a great teacher and person. I did a National Geographic expedition with him in 2005. He was charming, patient, funny, and full of incredible stories! He will be very missed and I truly hope that National Geographic pays tribute to such a remarkable man. Jim not only recorded history but changed it when he was able to photograph Pope John Paul II due to his talent and persistence. May you rest in peace my friend.