James McClelland

My heart is broken. Jim is one of the reasons I'm in Philadelphia when I attended The Academy of Vocal Arts in 1979 where he was director of development. New to Philly, Jim and Lynn took me under their wings and provided me with tons of love and care. He was my dear friend and mentor and I owe much of what I've accomplished in life to him. I'll never forget working with him on Light Up the Night Against AIDS in 1990, a star-studded (he knew them all) benefit at the Academy of Music for AMFAR. It was one of several fundraising ventures on which he asked me to participate. While I've not been in touch as much since moving to the Poconos, i deeply loved you Jim. There's a void in my heart as there is in the hearts of the hundreds of people whose lives he touched. My deepest condolences go out to his husband Lynn Miller with whom he recently celebrated their 50th anniversary together.