James Reardon-Anderson

REARDON-ANDERSON

JAMES REARDON-ANDERSON

Georgetown University Professor, James Reardon-Anderson passed away in Dallas TX, surrounded by his family, on November 24, 2022. He was 78 years old.



Reardon-Anderson was a professor of history in the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service for 35 years. He was the founding dean of Georgetown's branch campus in Qatar, overseeing its establishment from 2005 to 2009 and subsequently returning to that campus in 2016. During his tenure as dean, Jim led the joint efforts with the Qatar Foundation to protect migrant worker safety and welfare.



Before joining Georgetown, Reardon-Anderson taught at the University of Michigan and the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies. He also served as director of the Inter-University Program for Chinese Language Studies in Taipei and as director of the C.V. Starr East Asian Library of Columbia University. As the director of the Committee on Scholarly Communication with the People's Republic of China, he oversaw a joint project between Western and Chinese scientists on the grassland ecosystem in China.





Jim grew up in Farmington, Michigan. He held an M.A. and Ph.D. from Columbia University and a B.A. in history from Williams College. His interest in international affairs was nurtured by his high school and college exchange student experiences in Germany and France. Later, in 1966, he taught English in Hong Kong through the Williams in Hong Kong program, and there his lifelong interest in China grew.





Jim is the author of five books on China, including The Study of Change: Chemistry in China, 1840 to 1949, Reluctant Pioneers: China's Expansion Northward, 1644-1937, and most recently he edited The Red Star and the Crescent: China and the Middle East, a collection of essays examining the China-Middle East relationship.



A longtime resident of Bethesda, MD, Jim always took a keen interest in his children's activities and coached their soccer teams in Montgomery County. An avid golf fan and golfer, he played at several public courses in the Washington, DC area, including the East Potomac Golf Course.





He leaves behind his wife Kathleen; three children, Jane (Halim), Peter (Rachel), and William (Amanda); five grandchildren (Teoman, Serra, Jude, Erin, and Juliet); a sister Barbara and two brothers, John and Craig, Sr.



A private family service is planned.