James Jackson Anderson passed peacefully at the Wendover Hospice House in Shelby, NC on June 17, 2019. He was born in Morganton, NC on January 3, 1932. Mr. Anderson was the youngest child of William Powe Anderson and Rachel Pittman Anderson. Jim, as he was known, had three older brothers, William Powe, Jr. (Billy; killed in Korea), Robert Burton (Bobby), and the Reverend Charles Pittman Anderson, and two sisters, Hazel Rhyne and Mary Elisabeth (Libby) Brown. His paternal grandfather was Dr. James R. Anderson, a Morganton physician. Jim's great-grandfather was a distinguished Presbyterian clergyman, the Reverend Robert Burton Anderson, as was his great-great-grandfather, the Reverend James Henley Thornwell, an early president of the University of South Carolina. Senator Sam Ervin was a cousin of Jim, as Senator Ervin's mother and Jim's paternal grandmother, Elizabeth Torrence Powe, were sisters. Jim's parents were able to make sure their family, and even others, had enough through the Depression. Jim was modest but justifiably proud of his family lineage and inherited many traits that made him a good and honorable person. Jim graduated from Morganton High School in 1950. He loved sports and played football and basketball. After high school he joined the US Air Force, serving from 1951 until being honorably discharged in 1955. While in the Air Force he traveled abroad, including England and Japan. He was stationed at Kimpo Air Base in Korea, where he was part of a camera crew that maintained equipment for reconnaissance flights. He made some best friends in the service with whom he stayed in touch over the years. Jim met his future wife, Patricia H. Anderson, in 1955 at the soda shop in Whiteley's Pharmacy in Morganton. Jim and Pat were married on August 21, 1955, at Calvary Baptist Church in Morganton. Among the new couple's friends from Morganton were Ned and Ann Thompson, with whom Jim and Pat maintained a strong lifelong friendship. They both attended Appalachian State Teacher's College in Boone, where Jim earned a Bachelor of Science degree in 1958. After graduation, Jim started his career as a history teacher at the North Carolina School for the Deaf (NCSD) in Morganton for two years, where he also earned a diploma in the Theory and Practice of Teaching the Deaf in 1960. Jim also enjoyed being the assistant coach for the football and basketball teams when he taught at NCSD. He next taught at the Florida School for the Deaf and Blind in St. Augustine. In addition to teaching during the school year, he began working in summers at the Castillo de San Marcos National Monument in St. Augustine. He subsequently joined the National Park Service (NPS) and worked full-time at Castillo de San Marcos, then at the Wright Brothers National Memorial and Fort Raleigh National Historic Site on the Outer Banks of NC. In 1967 he joined Kings Mountain National Military Park (KMNMP) in South Carolina. In 1970 he returned to teaching at NCSD in Morganton for two and a half years before rejoining the National Park Service at KMNMP in 1973. In addition to his training at the NPS Grand Canyon site, Jim participated in several training courses at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC) in Atlanta. Among his accomplishments at KMNMP was his participation in researching and determining the route now known as the Overmountain Victory National Historic Trail, which was traveled by eastern Tennessee patriots who marched to fight in the Battle of Kings Mountain, the latter of which is acknowledged as the turning point of the Revolution in the South. Jim participated in Revolutionary War Round Tables in Washington, DC, and at the invitation of noted historian and author Thomas Fleming, he spoke at Fraunces Tavern in New York City, where George Washington bade farewell to his troops. While with the NPS he also honed his skills as the World's Greatest Teller of the World's Worst Jokes and made more lifelong friends along the way. He retired from the National Park Service in 1994, having served as historian and chief of interpretation and resource management at KMNMP. Before retiring from KMNMP, he also began part time evening security work at Cleveland Community College in Shelby, NC. He then worked in the College's bookstore before retiring completely. Jim and Pat have 4 children, Susan (Kelly) of Charleston SC; Bill of Shelby, NC; J. Joseph of Cherryville, NC; and Laura (Jeff) of Grover, NC. They also have one granddaughter, Amélie, a veterinarian in Portland, Oregon. Survivors include sisters-in-law Lucille Carpenter Anderson and Mary Hurt Anderson, who live in Sebring, FL, and Morganton, NC, respectively, as well as many nieces and nephews. Jim's hobbies included playing cribbage, working crossword and Jumble puzzles, and watching Duke basketball and Alabama football. He enjoyed reading fiction and nonfiction books. He loved his dogs (and the family's cats) and walked the neighborhood with the dogs twice a day. Jim Anderson lived a life of service. Whether in the military, as an educator, an employee in an educational institution, the interpreter at national historic sites, or as a caring family member and neighbor, he touched the lives of many. He provided a model of integrity, loyalty, and humor. A memorial service will be held at The Chapel of Cecil M. Burton Funeral Home & Crematory, 106 Cherryville Rd., Shelby, NC on Wednesday, June 26, 2019 at 2:00 pm. Contributions in Jim's memory to Cleveland Community College Foundation (http://clevelandccfoundation.org/give-now/ ), the Cleveland County Humane Society Shelter (1609 E Marion St, Shelby, NC 28150), Hospice Cleveland County (https://www.hospicecares.cc/ ), or the National Park Service Foundation (https://www.nationalparks.org/support ) are welcomed.

Cecil M. Burton Funeral Home and Crematory is serving the family of Mr. Anderson.

Guest Registry is available at www.cecilmburtonfuneralhome.com