James Davis Agard
SARASOTA - James Davis Agard, a lifelong artist and longtime art professor at Gettysburg College, passed away on April 5th at the age of 79.
A valued educator, husband, father, grandfather, and friend, Jim grew up in Binghamton, NY, in a family that would rather make things than buy them. His mother was a homemaker, and his father was an engineer at IBM. When Jim was nine, they built a cottage on the shore of Petunia Lake, NY. They also made sailboats by hand, including a mahogany sunfish. The craft of building came naturally to Jim, fostering in him an uncanny ability to create something from nothing. A sports enthusiast, his enduring love for basketball carried him through the Binghamton Central team in high school to the varsity squad at SUNY New Paltz, where he was President of Sigma Tau Gamma fraternity. Close-knit friendships with fraternity brothers continued throughout his lifetime. Jim graduated from Rutgers with an MFA degree and became an art professor. Beyond teaching at Virginia Intermont College in Bristol, and Green Mountain College in Poultney, VT, he flourished in the remainder of his 44-year teaching career at Gettysburg College.
Jim’s artwork was exhibited at numerous exhibitions nationally and internationally, yet he was most proud of his two sons, Adam, and Jason. He always put their interests ahead of his own and often said that he loved every minute of raising them. Jim was 56 years old and halfway around the world when he found Jennifer, the love of his life. They were married on April 14, 2001, and together, created a life overflowing with love and admiration for each other. When Jim became a grandfather, it was a befitting role that he cherished and brought immense joy into his life. With a knack for telling funny stories, Jim’s uproarious laughter and generosity of spirit will be remembered by all. His family will hold dear his memory, and the love and laughter shared between them over the years.
Jim is survived by his wife, Jennifer Agard, two sons, Adam Agard and Jason Stewart Agard, daughters-in-law Susan Evans and Katie Wright, and granddaughter, Quinn Evans-Agard. Services will be on April 21, Toale Brothers Funeral Home and Crematory, #40 North Orange Avenue, Sarasota, Fl. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to St. Jude Children’s Cancer Research Center.