James himself was the "gentleman and scholar" that he often joked about. My heart misses his kind words and Navy stories. I enjoy the memory of his determined and positive spirit!
I believe James should be considered the last of a Midwest Regional Artists group to which he was connected. Terence Duran, Dale Nichols, Thomas Hart Benton (all of whom he knew personally, or at least had met) had at least some degree of influence on the artistic life of James Ray. Cindia