SHIRLEY WATTS JAMES ~ Class of 1949
April 22, 1935 - April 12, 2007





Shirley James, long-time leader of the Pigeon Creek Greenway Passage Committee and other civic projects, died Thursday, April 12, 2007, at Deaconess Hospital after a courageous battle with cancer. She was 75. Shirley was a native of Butte, MT, and had lived and traveled throughout the world before making Evansville, IN her home in 1975.

This community and its environment became her passion. She helped organize the West Side Improvement Association in 1976 and served as its president for all but two of the next 20 years, waging wars against urban sprawl, drainage problems, litter and junk yards, creek debris and other pollution. She led development of the Howell Wetlands, was a force behind restoration of the Pagoda and volunteered her time and expertise in many other projects. But it was her tireless commitment to the Pigeon Creek Greenway for which she was best known. She served as chairman of the advisory committee for the past 18 years, as a volunteer working often full time to help plan and gain funding for the Greenway Trail, that she was convinced would add tremendously to the quality of life in Evansville. She received many honors for her leadership, including the prestigious Rotary Club Civic Award in 2000. Shirley once told a newspaper reporter that her life had been filled with adventures similar to those in novels she read by flashlight beneath the covers late at night as a child.

She grew up in Richland, WA, where her father worked for Hanford Atomic Product Operations on development of the plutonium bomb. It was a government-made community of scientific people, with no elderly or handicapped persons, no crime and no locked doors, and the government paid for everything. She attended Washington State University, then lived in Central and South America for six months before marrying Richard James, an engineer who rescued her when she fell while snow skiing. In 1963, he was transferred by G.E. to its plant in Mount Vernon, IN, and the couple lived in Evansville for the next nine years. During that period, Shirley attended the University of Evansville, earning a degree in psychology and sociology.

She became a mental-health planner for the Tri-State Regional Health Planning Agency and later worked with then-19-year-old Mark Owen to establish the Youth Service Corps. But in 1972, her husband was transferred, this time to Europe, where she spent her spare time traveling until they returned to Evansville in 1975 and bought their home on rural Middle Mount Vernon Road. It was homeownership that led her to become a community activist. Neighbors had been plagued by illegal dumping in the West Side area for years, and it affected the James' property. So while her husband was on special assignment in Boston, Shirley decided to take action. At the suggestion of an Area Plan Commission employee, she worked with the Westwood Garden Club and Operation City Beautiful to organize the West Side Improvement Association. Her approach to any problem or project was always to first learn as much about it as she possibly could.

She became a student of urban planning, zoning, drainage, sewage, grant-writing and other such topics, and she became known for her persistence. She was a formidable foe of commercial developments and rezoning that she believed would damage the environment. Although she often disagreed with politicians, her approach was to offer assistance rather than criticize. Glenn Boberg, chief planner for the Evansville Department of Parks and Recreation, said of Shirley, "She influences the quality of life. It can be felt."

Shirley is survived by her husband of 49 years, Richard James; two brothers, Jim Watts ('54) and his wife, Sharon Templeman Watts ('55), and Bob Watts and a sister-in-law, Nancy Watts. She is also survived by nephews, Kerry, Kurk, Mike, Brad, and Bret Watts, Mark Shelby, Gary, Don and Duff James; and nieces, Vicki, Cheryl, Laura, Julie, and Susie Watts, and Jan Smith.

Shirley was preceded in death by her parents, Earl and Margaret Watts; a brother, David Watts ('56); nephews, Scott and Stephen Watts; and a sister-in-law, Monica Watts.

Friends are invited to a celebration of her life at the Kennel Club of Evansville, 5201 Kratzville Road on Tuesday, April 24, 2007, from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m.

Memorial contributions in memory of Shirley can be made to your favorite charity.

Sign/View Shirley's GuestBook at Ziemer Funeral Home