Mourning the loss: Lewis and Clark Community College remembers beloved instructor

GODFREY – A beloved instructor for many who attended Lewis and Clark Community College passed away Wednesday evening.

Professor and art curator Jim Price succumbed to his battle with cancer on Sept. 19, 2018, leaving behind a legacy of inspiring and informing a great many people in the Riverbend area who remember the man as an outstanding educator who made learning not only fun but exceptional. Many took to social media Thursday following the news of his passing.

“He was a blessing to have in the Alton area,” former student, Rory Morse, said on Facebook. “He was a true intellectual with a passion for starting the fire within his students' souls.”

Javier Zarco, a former exchange student from Spain, posted a touching tribute on his personal page detailing how Price made him feel welcome in the U.S.

“Today the world lost a great man, one of a kind,” he said. “As an international student in Lewis and Clark, Jim made me feel right at home thousands of miles away from home. He was charismatic, funny and would always be there for his students.”

He will also be honored and remembered by his fellow staff members and administration at the college.

“Jim's impact on all of us and our college community was profound,” Lewis and Clark Community College President Dale Chapman said in a release. “Jim was a brilliant teacher who cared deeply about his students, a creative curator of world-class art and a charismatic interpreter of art to the public. We will always remember Jim's enthusiasm and passion for interpreting the art which defines the Monticello Sculpture Gardens. Our thoughts and expressions of grief are with Jim's family and his extended network of colleagues.”

Price began his work at the college in the fall of 1993 as an adjunct faculty member, before teaching full time in 1994. His courses included: Art of Film, American Government, Western Humanities, American History, Latin American Civilization and many others.

“Our faculty has suffered an irreplaceable loss,” Lewis and Clark Community College Faculty Association President Mike Lemons said in a release. “Jim Price was a mentor and a friend to many of us, and we have all benefited from his leadership in our association. We grieve for our friend and colleague, as do countless students who loved taking his classes. Jim's passion for teaching and compassion for students were well-known, and something to which we could all aspire.”

During his career at Lewis and Clark Community College, Price was nominated for the Emerson Excellence in Teaching Award in 2004 and for the Illinois Community College Trustees Association Outstanding Faculty Member Award in 2012.

His research also resulted in a summer fellowship funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities. His seminar on “Center and Periphery: 15^th and 16^th Century Spain and New Spain” was hosted both in Mexico and New Mexico.”

He was also recommended by the Newberry Library to attend a research conference titled: “Native Peoples and Museums: Building Reciprocal Relationships for the Twenty-First Century” in Washington, D.C. Price was also serving on the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum curators' advisory committee.

Price also curated various art exhibits at the college featuring artists such as Ed Paschke, Joe Emons, Winifred Godfrey, Dale Threlkeld, Carolyin Mazloomi, Ruth Duckworth and Michiko Itatani. He also curated a 2014 exhibit at the college for the Rocky Fork Exhibit, which celebrated the descendants of a secluded community at the confluence of Piasa Creek, Rocky Fork Creek and the Mississippi River.

“Jim had a curator's eye for the extraordinary in the ordinary,” said Lewis and Clark Community College Dean of Career Programs Sue Czerwinski, Price’s friend and colleague, in a release. “He found beauty, humor and hope in art and nature. He was also an incredibly loyal friend.”

Chris Green, Lewis and Clark Community College Maintenance worker, collaborated with Price on the college’s art exhibits.

“Jim’s presence will be felt here for many years to come,” Green said in a release. “His shoes will be unfillable. He was a very close friend of mine. He educated me, inspired me, and pushed me to do the best I could do. He will be greatly missed by all. Let us never forget him."

Before joining the Lewis and Clark family, Price was a curator for the humanities at the Center for the Arts in Vero Beach, Florida, according to a release from the college. He also taught at Indian River Community College in Fort Pierce, Florida, and at the College of St. Francis in Melbourne, Florida.

Early in his career, he was a founding board member of the SouthEast Sculpture Association, a non-profit dedicated to the presentation of sculpture in public spaces, and project director for the Hollywood Mavericks: American Independent Filmmakers, an art film subscription series.

He held a Certificate in British History and Shakespearean Studies from Cambridge University in England; a Bachelor of Fine Arts in History at the Florida International University; and a Master of Fine Arts in History from the University of Chicago.

He was fluent in Spanish and also spoke some Portuguese.

On the morning of Sept. 20, Lewis and Clark lowered the flags on campus in Price’s memory.

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