James Arthur Salem ’66 died on August 18, 2007, in Shelburne Falls, Massachusetts.

Born on April 12, 1944, in Worcester, Mass., he prepared for college at North Brookfield Junior and Senior High School in Massachusetts and graduated from Bowdoin in 1967 as a member of the Class of 1966. He was married to Jaqueline Deboer that year, and they spent a year as Volunteers in Service to America (VISTA) working with the confederated Tribes on the Warm Springs Reservation in Oregon. The Greenfield Recorder for August 20, 2007, included this paragraph about him:“Jim had a rare zest for life and adventure which he imported to everyone who knew him. He never lost his love of ceramics; he taught courses to students of Deerfield Academy, experimented with new techniques, and served on the editorial board of Studio Potter magazine. In addition, Jim was an avid hiker, climber, and outdoorsman. He climbed Mercederio Mountain in Argentina at the age of 60, and in the last few weeks canoed the Connecticut and Allagash Rivers. He was the originator of West County Waders, a group of hardy souls who jumped in the Deerfield River every New Year’s Day. Among the most transformative experiences in Jim’s life was his work on Navajo and Warm Spring Indian Reservations. On the Navajo Reservation he taught accounting and served as Interim Vice President of Diné College.” He was comptroller of Deerfield Academy. Surviving are his wife, Jacqueline DeBoer Salem, whom he married in 1967; two children, Sara Salem of Warren, R.I., and Clayton Salem of Greenfield, Mass.; a granddaughter; his parents, Ernest and Carolyn Salem of West Brookfield, Mass.; two brothers,Timothy Salem and Michael Salem; and two sisters, Christine Dmuchovsky and Carol Salem.