James Alan Prichard

James Alan Prichard, son of James Alexander Prichard, Rear Admiral, retired, and Edna Earle Thompson Prichard, both parents from East Texas was born on March 24, 1938 in Chelsea Naval Hospital near Boston, Massachusetts. Jim, or Jimmy, died on April 3, 2023, at 85 years after a long debilitating battle with cancer and old age.

Jim progressed in education, attending four primary schools and four secondary schools, moving often to follow his father's Naval career, and graduating from Hoover High School in June 1955, in San Diego, California. For education, Jim attended Reed College in Portland for two years, studying physics and humanities, then transferred to University of Washington for training, graduating in 1960 with a bachelor of science degree in forest management.

Jim married in 1957, but was divorced in 1963 with his wife leaving two daughters from that marriage. After graduation in 1960, he worked for two years cruising timber for the State of Oregon. In 1961, Jim had a revelation, attending Eastern Oregon College of Education, obtained a teaching degree, and started a 33-year teaching career.

Jim's work life included roughly 800,000 student hours of science and mathematics instruction in both public and private schools. Jim taught for Bainbridge Island, Highline Schools in Seattle, Canadian Academy in Japan, Ellendale, North Dakota, Iranzamin in Tehran, Iran, Colegio Roosevelt in Peru, Desert Center, California and finally for 18 years for Sumner, Washington public schools, retiring in 2000.

In 1965, Jim won a full-ride scholarship to the University of North Dakota and achieved a master's degree in science technology in 1967. In 1976, he took post-graduate studies in biology at Western Washington University, in Bellingham, Washington.

Jim remarried in 1967 to Mary Elizabeth Holand of La Moure, North Dakota, with daughters Katherine and Sarah being born in Lima, Peru in 1978 and 1980 respectively. Throughout his life, Jim showed a passion for not only learning science and teaching, but for mountaineering.

In 1955, he lost count of mountains climbed at 300. Two-thousand summits would be a conservative estimate. Summits include 7,000 meter Puta Hiunchuli in Western Nepal with an all Japanese expedition, all western state high points including Denali and Mauna Kea, Huascaran in Peru together with peaks in seven cordilleras, Mount Kenya and Kilimanjaro in Africa, Demavand and Alam Kuh in Iran, an attempt on Pik Lenin in the Pamirs, significant high points in Canada, Mexico, Central America, Argentina, Chile, Equador, 70 of Washington's 100 highest, most of Oregon's major high points, all 96 peaks of the Sierra Club's desert peak list, at least 50 minor summits within easy driving distance of Packwood, Washington, and the list goes on.

In 2000, Jim retired to Packwood, Washington where he acted as general contractor in building his retirement home and outbuildings. He is survived by his wife of 56 years, Mary; and by four daughters, and five grandchildren.