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James Lacour - Year Entered 1968

James Lacour



 
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08/14/14 03:32 PM #1    

Cledice Decker (1959)

From Ernest Zimmerman:

Deceased Classmate: Jim Lacour
Date Of Birth: 4-18-1922
Date Deceased: 8-12-2006
Age at Death: 84
Cause of Death: 
Classmate City : Pasadena
Classmate State : CA
Classmate Country: USA
Was a Veteran: No 
Survived By: Dorothy Lacour, who has since passed away

Jim Lacour came to Pasadena with his wife Dorothy around 1960 from New Mexico . They were married students and lived on campus for many years until purchasing a home near the Rose Bowl in the 1970s. With his Master's in English, Jim taught English at AC while his wife taught Economics and Political Science. Jim Lacour was a caring mentor to me when I came to AC from Switzerland , and he helped me to integrate into American society and culture. He was intensely curious and enjoyed passing on his knowledge of English and American lit. In contrast to his outward appearance as a reserved person, he showed a marvelous sense of humor with those who knew him well and he had a very kind heart. In retirement, his garden was his passion. He tended it many hours and enjoyed handing out clipping to friends. Some of the plants he gave us are still growing in our garden. He also tutored many foreign students in English into an advanced age. He died suddenly in August, 2006, while doing what he loved best – gardening. Ernest Zimmermann, Ph.D. 
 


08/14/14 03:36 PM #2    

Cledice Decker (1959)

From Kathy Zimmerman:

Deceased Classmate: Dorothy Lacour
Date Of Birth: 5-10-1921
Date Deceased: 2-6-2010
Age at Death: 88
Cause of Death: 
Classmate City : Pasadena
Classmate State : CA
Classmate Country: USA
Was a Veteran: No 
Survived By: none

Dorothy Lacour came to Pasadena with her husband James around 1960 from New Mexico . They were married students and lived on campus for many years until purchasing a home near the Rose Bowl in the 1970s. While Jim taught English, Dorothy taught Economics and Political Science and ran the Continuing Education department. She later became Michael Germano's executive assistant and received a Ph.D. from USC. Dorothy was very welcoming, particularly to foreign students, and loved to converse and reach out to people. In retirement, she helped her husband maintain their lovely garden encompassing their entire back yard, and loved visiting with neighbors and receiving visits from friends. I recall many sweet visits in their home. After her husband's sudden death, she lived over three years and passed away in 2010. Kathy Mathews Zimmermann, M.S., CDP, CCP 
 


08/31/14 08:50 AM #3    

Dean Greer (1965)

Mr. Lacour was my English teacher.  One of those that I remember well.  He was a good man and yes, he loved humor.  I will always have fond memories of him.


09/01/14 11:31 AM #4    

Elaine Ormerod (Calver) (1966)

I worked for Mrs. Lacour (Dorothy) one summer as her assistant in the education dept. She was lovely. I had the ominous task of choosing students who had applied for Summer Camp that year. (How hard that was - we wanted them all to go).  Mr and Mrs. Lacour obliged me on several occasions when I invited them for Sabbath Brunch in the student dining room.  Often she would send me little cards she had made herself with encouraging words and pictures. It was sometimes hard being away from home (Englnd) and I think she understood that.  I often think of her and wish very much that I had had a longer relationship with her and her husband.  


07/01/15 07:56 AM #5    

Richard Houghton (Scott) (1969)

I was also one of Jim's English students in 1969-'70, and fondly recall his contagious smile and good humor.

Also recall our discussion about my difficulty understanding parts of speech by name, although I could use them readily in my compositions. For some reason I had a mental block going back to some dark memory hole experience I couldn't recall, that made this nearly impossible for me to learn (either that or my dyslexia was to blame, which made it nearly impossible for me to read books in high school, when characters on the page could appear to turn into Egyptian-style hieroglyphs; probably due to my overactive imagination, mostly).

James was understanding and compassionate, and worked with me to help me overcome this, until then, persistent problem with my English grades. We may not have entirely succeeded while I was his student (definitely not, looking back over some of my earlier work, for several years after that), but Jim's effort on my behalf was most appreciated!

He realized, I think, that results spoke louder than often times arbitrary tests.

The Lacours are missed, and I for one would have very much liked to have also stayed in touch and known them during their gardening years.


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