Professor James Howard McElhinney, 84, of Muncie, passed away July 1, 2011 at IU Ball Memorial Hospital. He taught at Ball State for 42 years. Born in Louisa Co., Iowa, he graduated from Morning Sun High School and Iowa Wesleyan College. Later he earned M.A. and Ph. D. degrees from the University of Iowa. Before beginning his college teaching career at Ball State in 1961, he served as teacher, principal, and basketball coach in a number of Iowa public school systems. He also worked as a seasonal park ranger in Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks.
As a teacher of teachers, Jim excelled. For Ball State''s Teachers College, he directed the Area of Curriculum for fifteen years and the Ed.D. program in Adult, Higher, and Community Education from 1981 until his retirement in 2003. Earlier at Ball State he taught Social Foundations of Education and Participation, which prepared students for student teaching. By 1965, he was offering graduate courses in Curriculum and Program Evaluation. He consulted with many school districts in Indiana and other states, including Alaska: held membership in and served on the leadership committees of many professional organizations; and was chairperson or president of three such organizations. He participated on more than 125 doctoral dissertation committees and served as chair of over 90 others. His graduate students came to the university from many states of the union and from many foreign countries, including Egypt, Afghanistan, Mexico, and Chile.
Upon his retirement in 2003, Jim was appointed a Sagamore of the Wabash by Governor O''Bannon and, at the same time, received an Indiana Department of Education Bellringer Award. As the award notes, Jim "Rang the Bell for Children & Education." After retirement, Jim organized the Association of Lifelong Learners'' Discussion Group, whose members meet weekly to discuss a variety of topical issues. He last met with the group just a week before his death, and he was proud of the Certificate of Appreciation members presented to him earlier this year. He was also a devoted walker-jogger with Carrington Woods neighbors on the Cardinal Greenway.
Survivors include Jim''s wife, Dr. Sondra Ratcliffe McElhinney, Muncie; daughter, Carol Boyer (Eric), Syracuse, NY; son, Gene (Cindy), Yakima, WA; stepdaughter, Debi Spurlock of Muncie; brother, Leonard, of Oakwood Hills, IL. He is also survived by three grandchildren, Wendy, Miles, and Elizabeth; three great-grandchildren, and several grand nephews and nieces.
Visitation will take place at Garden View Funeral Home, 10501 North State Road 3, Muncie, IN from 4:00 p.m. until 8:00 P.M. on Friday July 8, 2011 with funeral services starting at 3:00 p.m. on Saturday July 9, 2011. Cremation will follow with burial at a later date in Gardens of Memory Cemetery.
In 2001, a former student endowed the Dr. James H. McElhinney Scholarship for doctoral students in Adult, Higher, and Community Education at Ball State. Jim requested that memorial donations be made to this scholarship, fund number 0753 c/o BSU Foundation, 2800 W. Bethel Avenue, Muncie IN 47306