The recent drowning tragedy in Dover-Foxcroft has touched many people.

As a Foxcroft Academy grad, I had James Brown as my junior-year English teacher. He was one of those teachers who would greet you by name when he saw you in the halls, even if you had never been one of his students. He took the time to make connections with his students that lasted even after graduation. My respect for him as a teacher and as a person made it hard for me to call him “Jim,” even after he insisted I do so years after my graduation.

When I would see him on a visit home, he would ask how college was, and knew where I was going and what I was studying. He would ask of my family and when he would be teaching my little brother. I am sure I was only one of thousands of students he taught throughout the years, but he made me feel like I was the only one.

As a teacher myself I strive to build the relationships that he had with his students, knowing that he made it look so easy. He will be sadly missed by the Dover-Foxcroft community, Foxcroft Academy students past and present, and all those who were privileged to know him.

Brittany Owens

Temple, Texas