James Edward Garman of Portsmouth, Rhode Island died Sunday, February 22 at the age of 87 after a long and courageous battle with Congestive Heart Failure and Kidney Disease. Jim was a teacher and coach at Portsmouth Abbey, a veteran of the United States Navy, and first and foremost, a passionate advocate for the history of his adopted town.
Born in Jeanette, Pennsylvania on August 19, 1938 to the late Mildred May (McCracken) Garman and Dr. Russell A. Garman, Jim graduated from Gettysburg College, where he developed a deep love for the history of the Civil War. In a rare exception to a lifetime spent as a pragmatist, he later confessed to occasional supernatural encounters during nights spent exploring the battlefield. He went on to earn his MA at Emory University, where he completed a thesis on Georgia Civil War regiments under the direction of renowned historian Bell Irvin Wiley.
Jim was justifiably proud of his time in the United States Navy. He was on active duty from 1960 to 1963, serving as the Gunnery Officer and then Communications Officer on the USS Compton (DD-705), homeported in Newport. Compton‘s major accomplishment during that time was active participation in the Cuban Blockade of 1962. He would continue in the Naval Reserve until 1980, retiring at the rank of Commander. In Newport he met his soon-to-be wife of 57 years, Dorothy (Dotti) George. They were married in 1964; a year later, he began an extraordinary 39-year career at what was then Portsmouth Priory School.
At Portsmouth, Jim fulfilled a number of roles: Track and Cross-Country Coach, Director of Student Life, College Admissions Counselor. But he was primarily a formidable teacher of history. His students remember him for his integrity, his passion, and his occasionally acerbic evaluation of their efforts. In 1975, he published his first book, Historic Houses of Portsmouth, Rhode Island. As if he were not busy enough, Jim and Dotti created “Garman Photography”, photographing nearly a thousand weddings and an unimaginable number of senior pictures and family portraits. Jim retired from Portsmouth in 2004, after a long and distinguished career; he and Dotti began to wind down the photography business so that they could enjoy spending time traveling through Italy, France, and Russia.
Retirement allowed Jim to focus on his love for local history. He wrote a series of well-received volumes about the gentleman’s farms of Newport County, about the history of transportation on Aquidneck Island, and about little-known aspects of Portsmouth’s history. These books were written with the typical reader in mind; Jim wanted every resident of Portsmouth to have an appreciation for the nearly four centuries of the town’s past.
In 2013 the Town Council recognized Jim as “Portsmouth Town Historian.” He had an affiliation with the Portsmouth Historical Society that lasted more than half a century, and he was much in demand for illustrated lectures on a wide variety of topics. When his frailty prevented him from continuing on the lecture circuit, he posted photos and comments on the “Portsmouth, RI Historical Photo Club” page on Facebook, keeping a meticulous mental tab on which of his historical images received the most likes.
Jim loved his Tibetan terriers, the Pittsburgh Steelers, and the collection of birds and squirrels that gathered outside his office window. In his final days he enjoyed visiting with his family, working on his autobiography, and feeding the squirrels outside his office by flinging corn cobs out his window.
Jim is survived by two children: James C. Garman and his wife Michelle, of Newport; and Deborah L. Garman, also of Newport. He also leaves behind three grandchildren: Michael J. Garman of Providence, Sophie S. Garman of Newport, and Freya G. Garman of Newport. His parents, his stepfather Dr. James Curtis MacBurney, his wife Dorothy, his brothers Russell A. Garman, Jr. and Robert W. Garman, and his stepbrother Bruce MacBurney all preceded him in death.
Calling hours will be Friday, March 6th from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Connors Funeral Home, 55 West Main Road, Portsmouth. A Celebration of Life will be held on Saturday, March 7th, in the same location at 9:00 a.m. with private burial in the Union Cemetery, Portsmouth following immediately. Jim’s family is grateful to the members of the Portsmouth Fire Department, who provided steadfast help to him toward the end. In lieu of flowers, family members ask friends to consider making a donation to the Portsmouth Fire Department, 2300 E Main Rd, Portsmouth, RI 02871 or the Portsmouth Historical Society, 870 E Main Rhode, Portsmouth, RI 02871.
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