Jim was active in the Freeport Camera Club for several years, but I have no record of his earlier contributions. We met when I became active in the Photographic Federation of Long Island (PFLI) and he was the PFLI Vice President and at some point he resigned.
For nearly two decades Jim was the Vice President for Administration & Finance, New Paltz State University and was its first African American vice president. “Jim Grant had a remarkable capacity to manage a wide range of daily responsibilities around campus, while also taking a long view far into the future,” said former SUNY New Paltz President Alice Chandler. “The way in which he interacted with people was friendly, warm and open, yet always with a sense that he knew he was representing the institution. He was a special person and left a legacy for the College that we should very much appreciate.”
Former Vice President for Enrollment Management David Eaton stated: “Jim oversaw a number of major initiatives that helped shape SUNY New Paltz into what we know today. He lit up a room when he walked in and his personality was warm and confidently resolute. He gave us the masterful leadership we needed through our collective professional experience at New Paltz.”
Jim was the Board’s Treasurer at Southeast Queens Park Association (SQPA) and made arrangements for our Open House in January 2005 and we’ve continued to meet here. Several Freeport Club guys met weekly at Neptune Camera Store, Garden City, to share concerns, friendships, and to explore the newest equipment. Jim always purchased “top shelf” photography equipment. During the SEQCC Auctions, he would donate many items for sale and all his proceeds were donated to the Club. Jim was granted SEQCC Life Membership in 2006.
He assisted at the SQPA Annual Art Exhibit and served on its Committee along with several of us. He was the Featured Artist in the 2010 Annual Art Exhibit with his image “Kenya Tree.” When any of his images were sold at the Art Exhibit, Jim donated all the funds to SEQCC. For one of the Art Exhibits, he provided the funds to enable an outside heated tent for food in SQPA courtyard.
Go to Our Beginning, SEQCC, for our achievements. The PFLI created the PFLI Hall of Fame in 2009 “to honor photographers who have shown exceptional photographic skill over an extended period of time” and Jim was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2015. As a skilled photographer Jim judged competitions. He was an avid traveler with his friend, Ted Whiting, as they visited China, Ghana, Madagascar, Brussels, Kenya, Costa Rica, Chile, Peru, The Netherlands, Germany, France, England, Panama, Israel, Kuwait and Cuba, among other nations. Jim was never traveled without a camera. With the health of Jim’s wife, Maggie Grant, he curbed many of his photography activities as he and the family provided for her homecare. Jim transitioned on June 3, 2021.
Written by Dorothy Gist, September, 2024
