JAMES FERRER

FERRER--James C.

On Thursday, October 11th, James C. Ferrer, passed away at the Kanas Center in Quiogue, NY after a battle with cancer. He was 70 years old. Jim was born in Manhattan and attended The Buckley School and Portsmouth Abbey School, before graduating from Beloit College in 1970. He completed his post- graduate studies at Columbia University's Teachers College in 1980. Jim lived most of his full life between Manhattan, Oyster Bay and Southampton. He had a distinguished career as an independent elementary school educator and administrator. He started his career as a Latin teacher and then moved on to leadership positions, serving as Assistant Headmaster of The Buckley School and Headmaster of The Country School, East Woods School and The Hampton Day School. His favorite part of the job was greeting every student with a firm handshake and encouragement at the start of each school day. One of his fifth- grade students wrote in a letter to him at the time of his departure from East Woods School, "When I shake your hand every morning, I know the thing that is really big about you is your heart." After his career in education, he worked as a real estate broker with Sotheby's International. In recent years, he helped to establish the Shinnecock Hills Education Fund, which has been renamed in his honor. Jim is survived by his wife Jeanne, his sons Bowe and Andrew, his grandsons Nico, Hudson and Archie, his granddaughter Josephine and three of his siblings, Tom, Linda and Molly; he was predeceased by his brother Joe. There will be a memorial service for Jim at 11:30am on Friday, November 2nd at St. Andrew's Dune Church in Southampton, NY. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the James C. Ferrer Education Fund of Shinnecock Hills Golf Club and St. John's Church of Southampton, NY.