James Edward Bell

It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of James Edward Bell, who died peacefully of January 24, 2026, in Columbia, Maryland.

Jim was born on May 12, 1941, in Chicago, Illinois, the eldest of four Bell boys. His family later moved to Memphis, Tennessee, and then to Fargo, North Dakota, where he grew up and completed high school. A strong student, athlete, and active member of his church and community, Jim was an accomplished baseball player who played center field for his American Legion team.

He began college at Sioux Falls College in South Dakota, where he enthusiastically participated on the debate team, before transferring to the University of Minnesota, earning his undergraduate degree in Psychology and continuing on to complete a PhD. After his sophomore year of college, Jim met his future wife, Ruth Wilder, while they were both waiting tables at the American Baptist Conference Center in Green Lake, Wisconsin.

In 1971, Jim joined Howard Community College in Columbia, Maryland, as a founding member of the faculty and its first full-time psychology professor. Over more than four decades, he helped build the psychology program and became known for a student-centered approach that emphasized writing, careful reasoning, and critical thinking. He authored the nationally used textbook Evaluating Psychological Information: Sharpening Your Critical Thinking Skills and shared his teaching methods and materials widely with fellow educators. Upon his retirement in 2016, he was honored as Professor Emeritus of Psychology.

Jim's life reflected his faith and integrity through his dedication to his students, his family, and the broader community around them. Teaching allowed him not only to pursue his passion for education, but also to be fully present at home. He arranged his teaching schedule so that he would be home when his children returned from school. He was a regular volunteer in his children's classrooms, so much so that at one school the term "room mother" was changed to "room parent."

A lifelong lover of puzzles and logic games, Jim made learning fun. His riddles and "thinking games" were a hallmark of his teaching and family life, and many of those puzzles continue to be passed down to the next generation.

Jim was an avid ping pong player and racquet-sport enthusiast throughout his life, playing racquetball twice weekly for more than 50 years and, in his later years, becoming a popular pickleball partner.

Jim is survived by his beloved wife of 61 years, Ruth Wilder Bell; his son, Carl Bell (Sue), and their children Katherine (Matthew Chesky) and their son Henry, Matthew, John "Jack," and Charlotte; his daughter, Sara Bell, and her children Hayley, her son Riat, and Colin; and his brothers Codie D. Bell, Jr. (Juli) and Robert "Kraft" Bell (Donna). He was predeceased by his parents, Codie D. Bell, Sr. and Clara Elizabeth Reynolds Bell, and by his brother David Bell (Mimi).

A Celebration of Life Service will be held on February 19, 2026, at 11:00 a.m. at Glen Mar Church in Ellicott City, Maryland.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Jim's memory to the Howard Community College Educational Foundation (HCCEF).