Colby Eagles Alumni Association
Jim Windle, Class of 1953
Nominated by Marj Williams Brown, 1953
Copyright Colby Eagles Alumni Association @ 2014
  Jim was accepted for a summer study in 1953 at Oxford University in Oxford, England, where he studied Greek and Roman archeology. He attended Fort Hays Kansas State University, where he graduated with a B.S. in Agriculture Administration in 1961. During those years, he attended flight training as a Naval Aviation cadet at the U. S. Naval Air Station in Pensacola, Florida. Jim received an honorable discharge in 1960 and served in the Naval Reserves until 1964. 

  After returning home from the Navy, Jim went on to receive his Master’s Degree in Elementary Education at the University of Southern California, and in 1977, he received his Ed. D in Elementary Education and Secondary Administration, also from that same university. 
  From 1961 to 1969, Jim taught elementary school at Saugus Union School District and served as principal at several grade schools in Canyon County, Calif. from 1969 to 1978. 

  In 1971, Jim was delegate to the First Annual World Conference on Individualized Instruction in Amsterdam, Holland. From 1971 to 1997 Jim was Superintendent/Principal in several California School Districts. Jim served as Professor of Education at California State University and National University in California.

  

He certainly didn’t waste his retirement years. In fact he didn’t retire at all for several years; instead, after working for 42 years in the field of education, he chose to work at an Indian Reservation as Education Department Manager, administering a K-12 GED program, helping Native American youths obtain college scholarships and vocational grants until he was 70 years old.

  Jim died in 2008 and his ashes were scattered on the former Windle farmland north of Levant.

  Jim’s first wife was, Karen Murray, of Scott City, and they had one daughter, Cheri. Karen died of a heart condition, and some time later, Jim married, Kathleen Haniger, of San Jose, Calif. Kathleen has three children, Daniel, Christine, and Renee.