A native of Memphis, Tennessee, Jim began his university career at Georgia Tech with a major in electrical engineering but abandoned that lucrative field to enjoy the higher rewards of study in the humanities. After undergraduate work at the University of Memphis, he entered the history program at the University of Illinois, where he earned his MA and Phd with a major field in ancient Greek history and minor fields in Roman history, Medieval history, and Classical Greek.

Jim's undergraduate teaching regularly includes the following: honors and regular versions of the Western Civilization survey and semester courses on ancient Greece, the Roman Republic and Empire, ancient Egypt and Near East, and the Middle Ages. At the graduate level he offers courses in Greek and Roman history, which together comprise one of the minor field options in the history Phd program.

His research interests and publications relate primarily to ancient Greece and include published articles on Greek coinage, the Spartan slave system, Roman imperialism, and political relations between Greeks and Macedonians. Currently (1998) he is completing a volume on ancient Greek warfare and participating with others in the production of an atlas of world history.

Jim lives near campus with his wife Martha, a vivacious librarian, and his dog Morse, an investigative terrier. Pastimes include travel to archaeological sites and vineyards in the Mediterranean region (Greece, Italy, Tunisia, Turkey, Israel, and Egypt, so far), politics, photography, and volunteer work for Child Advocates.