James Carothers Obituary

Dear Beverly and family,
Like Norma, I'm thinking of Jim and you this week. I hope his spirit will hover over the Faulkner conference later this month; you were all an important part of those meetings for decades, and they're not the same without you. With warm wishes and sympathy always--Joan

Beverly A year has passed so fast . I know from experience that grief still stays but great memories can help.
I loved the conversation I had with Jim at Mum's 100 party in Victoria. Both your friendships with my mother brought her great joy.
I hope you are well and I think of you often.
Love Norma McLeod

Dear Beverly, Cathleen, and Michael. The memorial service was the ideal tribute to Jim, thanks largely to Beverly's meticulous planning and to the heartfelt memories the three of you shared. The eulogies of friends you've mentioned for years were also inspiring and touching, and Jim would have laughed at the funny stories from decades of his life. Everything from the large arrangement of yellow roses to the presence of Jim's family Bible and the closing notes of the bagpiper created an unforgettable homage. Thanks also to the funeral home and Plymouth church for arranging the streaming for those of us who were there online, moment by moment.

Beverly so sorry to hear
of your beloved passing
Could not get logged into the service on the 24 but I am sure it was wonderful.
I was so glad to get to meet him at mother's 100 bday celebration.
I know you and your family will miss him terribly.
Much love Norma and Terry McLeod

So sorry to hear of Professor Carothers´ passing. He was an inspiration to so many of us. Taking Faulkner and sitting in his class truly changed the arc of my life for the better. Years later we ran into one another when I sited the Hill and he remembered my name with no prompting, which was an honor for me and indicative of his amazingly large brain and his kindness. He was the best of a really great group of teachers in that department in the early 70s.

Jim, I remember you well. You always had good stories to tell. Wayne Pounds, Ph.D. 1976

Jim is deeply missed this week at the Faulkner conference in Oxford, where he was scheduled to lead a Teaching Faulkner session as he has done enthusiastically for decades. Attendees were looking forward to his insights on humor in Faulkner's short stories, and his comments would have been filled with his own wonderful humor and tall tales. With much sympathy to Beverly, Michael, and Cathleen, who planned to enjoy the conference with their loving and beloved Jim.

I will miss Jim! He could always make me laugh! It has been an honor and a privilege to have found a friend in him! I bet he is wiggling his ears and making God laugh right now!
Lydia

I met Jim the fall of 1959 when he and I were pledges of Delta Tau Delta at Mizzou. We were not only Fraternity brothers but sometime roommates that became close friends from that time forward. Many summers Jim would travel to Denver for a week or so and he and I would take a few days to go to a mountain resort for relaxation and to be able to reflect and reminisce. Our Fraternity days, family, travel, dining, literature and of course baseball were among the numerous subjects on the agenda. It was blessing to me that we stayed connected for all the years. A few short days before Jim's passing another brother, David Dodge, flew from El Paso to Denver. He and I then drove to Lawrence to be with Jim for what proved to be a final time. Within a few days of our departure from Lawrence to drive back to Denver Jim became hospitalized. David and I did a lot of thinking and talking about Jim on that return trip. We both expressed that we had good feelings about having made the whirlwind trip knowing that it was very unlikely that we would have another opportunity. Jim will remain in my thoughts and I will miss him forever.
Bev, you know that friendships like his and mine are extremely rare and cannot be replaced.

I had the pleasure of calling Jim a teammate playing with him on the Plymouth Rocks softball team. I also was part of his inaugural class teaching the Literature of Baseball at KU. His love of the game was evident in the classroom as well as the playing field. To this day, The Glory of Their Times is as much a favorite read of mine as it was when Prof. Jim first introduced it to us. Another fond memory of Jim took place in Colorado while we playing in a regional softball tournament. One evening after playing, with a bath-tub of iced down beer and pizza boxes spread out on the hotel room beds, Jim completely dominated our baseball trivia discussion.
I'm thankful Connie and I got to know Jim. We had a lot of good times with the "Rocks" family during & after games. Our prayers go out to Bev, Mike & Cathleen. May GOD"S grace be with you all during this time of sadness.
Faith tells us we will all be reunited again. I can just see Jim, with Roy, Mickey, Stan, and Frank, putting together another softball team and basking in GOD's glory.
John & Connie Turner

Dear Bev and family: I was stunned to see that Jim had passed. Having gone thru the same experience on May 8 my heart is with you in a very special way. Jim was Del's favorite at KU, he always enjoyed going up to Jim's office to chat, laugh and get things done. Del always said that Jim Carrouthers was the best Dean the Theatre Dept ever had. Please accept my condolences and if you can spare some time in a few weeks, after the rush of all the things you have to do right now, I would love to visit. Del and I were together 62. years and you 63 so we do have a lot in common. Take care of yourself especially at this time and for the weeks after because the tendency is not to do so.....Best Regards, Ione

Beverly, Steve and are saddened by the news of Jim´s passing. We send our love your way

Dearest Beverly, my heart is saddened to hear of your loss and everyone who loved Jim. Some of my fond memories were when we would visit your home sharing delicious diners, movies along with great conversations and laughter and of course all our Faulkner connections. Jim even was helpful in educating our son Troika about baseball when we visited West Point.
Please know you and your family are in my heart.
All my love,
Jan

I first got to know Jim when I was a grad student at Ole Miss studying Faulkner, where I met him at the Teaching Faulkner session at the annual Faulkner and Yoknapatawpha Conference. Right away, he became a role model for me as a teacher and scholar. To this day, when I teach Faulkner, I still recount to students an anecdote he used to tell, about a time he assigned "The Sound and the Fury" and told the students to go home and read the first section of the novel, and come to class next time ready to discuss it. In the next class, he asked them what did they think? Apparently there were a lot of confused faces and a reluctance to speak, until finally one student raised a hand and timidly asked, "Are there TWO Quentins?"

Some years later, it was my immense pleasure to work with him as a colleague on the Digital Yoknapatawpha website, especially when we gathered in Charlottesville for several summers to meet in person and work on the site. He always had a wonderful sense of humor, and I will sorely miss that. Beverly and everyone else in his family, I am so sorry for your loss.

I am saddened to hear about the passing of Dr. Carothers. He was an outstanding professor and administrator who always demonstrated a genuine, student-centered approach. I always admired his dedication and compassion. My heartfelt condolences go out to his family and friends during this difficult time.

I came late to the Jim Carothers Fan Club, being a member of the Northern contingent. I met Beverly through her visits to Victoria, BC and many were the times we spoke of Jim. Jim & I would often joke that we must be related, having the same middle name (Barrett) and almost the same birthday (June 20th and 21st.) Jim shall be sorely missed by his Canadian friends, and we grieve with Beverly and her family with all his family, friends and students.

Jim Carothers was always more than a colleague. To all who knew him, he represented what a college professor was supposed to be. He managed--I don't know how--to be friendly and approachable to everyone--students, and colleagues alike without sacrificing rigor or depth. He understood narratives as sources of wisdom applicable to everyday life. For Jim--a wonderful storyteller in his own right--narratives were places where cultures worked on values in ways that were complicated. Jim Carothers was absolutely unpretentious. A conversation with Jim was like listening to your older brother on a cross-country trip talking about why the Congress of the United States should have read the Declaration of Independence before sending it to the Supreme Court to be overturned. Jim, you deserved extra innings but didn't need them.

I met Professor Carothers around 1979. I took his class and had independent study with him. He was always kind and respectful to me, even though my writing was filled with misspellings and bawdy humor. When I walked down the hill, he called out to me and shook my hand. My dad was watching and so impressed that I knew a real professor. A very proud moment for me. A life well lived.

Mike, my thoughts and prayers are with you and your whole family. Cheri Ragland Ezell.

Fifty years or so ago, I had the great fortune to be a student in Professor Carothers' very first Literature of Baseball class. I always looked forward to his class and was never disappointed... he made it fun and interesting every time. In the years that followed, I'd occasionally run into him around town, and he always had a pleasant smile and a good word... always nice to see him. R.I.P. Professor Carothers

Jim was one of the true greats, a titan. His sense of humor, his laughter, was magnificent, and his knowledge of Faulkner's life and work was a treasure unrivalled. His memory will endure. Oleh Chief. Beverly, I am so sorry.

I´m thinking of you , Beverly, and your family with sympathy!!

In 1990, I took Jim Carothers' graduate seminar course on Faulkner, Hemingway, and Fitzgerald. I remember writing a paper on the lawyer Gavin Stevens in Faulkner's Knight's Gambit. After the course, I saw Jim at various English Department gatherings such as the annual Awards Banquet, the English Department Christmas Party, and many others. We both participated in directed readings for Paul Lim, where we both were able to ham it up and foster latent (some would say patent) dramatic or comedic tendencies. Once I moved to Kansas City, I didn't have as many chances to see Jim, but whenever I attended an event in Lawrence involving KU faculty or staff (one memorable occasion being the Faculty Alum Prom which I attended with another close friend of mine and Jim's, Jane Garrett). Jim always remembered my name and that seminar paper on Gavin Stevens. I will definitely miss Jim's sense of humor, his booming voice, and our vibrant discussions stemming from a shared love of Faulkner. God speed, Jim.

Jim was one of the first people I met when I arrived at KU. He offered a few tips on how to survive the comments I might hear about coming from "that university to the east, aka Mizzou." He made me laugh and feel so very welcomed. My sympathy to his family and countless friends.

Oh Beverly I am so sorry for your loss and while the "children" will have fantastic memories that is still a hole in your family that can not be filled.
I remember Jim´s delightful sermons for the children at Plymouth. One that has stayed with me forever was his explanation of the cross. Christmas Eve will not feel the same without him several pews in front of me where you two always sat.

Jim Carothers was a great citizen of the University of Kansas. He gave exorbitantly of his time, talent and love to help new students settle into the university community and to help old timers keep the spirit of KU fresh. He provided much wise counsel to me and other university colleagues. The world is diminished by the loss of his smile.

Beverly,

Please know that my thoughts and prayers are with you and your entire family. Jim was a wonderful, kind, supportive, intelligent, and caring man and I loved spending time with him at Daddy's 90th birthday party. Jim sent me several thoughtful and supportive emails about the party and it meant the world to me.

Daddy treasured his friendship with Jim and he always loved their conversations and times spent together. Please know that Daddy and I are sending you our love.

With heartfelt sympathy and love,

Nancy