James Colvert

COLVERT, James B. (Jim), 91, died at his Athens home January 13, 2013, after a brief illness. He is survived by his wife of 68 years, Mary Brian Colvert; two sons, Dave (Whitney), of Atlanta, and John, of Athens; a granddaughter, Sarah, of Casper, WY; a grandson, Andrew, of Longmont, CO; and four nieces: Jan Colvert, of Emory, TX, Fran Gremaud of Pinehurst, NC, Nancy Lumb of St. Joseph, MO, and Martha Embry of Arlington, VA. Jim was born 1921, at Paris, Texas, son of the late M. Ray and Lillie B. Colvert, and brother to the late Carroll Colvert of Dallas, TX.
He was a first-rank classical clarinetist by the age of 17 and attended SMU on a full music scholarship, where he received BA degrees in both music and English. He served in the U. S. Army Air Corps in WWII and flew 27 combat missions over Nazi Germany in the Martin B26 and Douglas A26. He was awarded the Air Medal with three clusters and remained an avid private pilot and aviation enthusiast for most of his life.
After the war he received his Ph.D. from LSU and accepted a position as professor of English at the University of Texas from 1952 to1958. He was a visiting professor at the University of Connecticut from 1958-1959, an associate professor at the University of Virginia from 1959 to 1968, and came to the University of Georgia in 1968 as editor of The Georgia Review, a position he held for three years. He was a full professor at Georgia from 1968 until his retirement in 1988 and was head of the English department for seven years.
He was an internationally recognized Stephen Crane scholar and made significant contributions throughout his academic career to the study of Crane's writings. Harcourt Brace published his Crane biography in 1984.
Jim was a splendid raconteur, and family and friends enjoyed his stories-most often humorous-of his experiences, as well as his observations from a life well lived.
In accordance with his wishes, there will be no formal services. Jim's friends are encouraged to remember him and celebrate his life in their own way.
Lord and Stephens, EAST is in charge of arrangements. www.lordandstephens.com