In Memoriam: James Loehlin, November 4th Birthday Party at Winedale and September 23 Obituary

James Norris Loehlin, of Austin, Texas, died of pancreatic cancer on September 14, 2023, in the loving arms of his wife of 27 years, Laurel René Goff Loehlin. In addition to Laurel, he is survived by his sister, Jennifer Ann Loehlin, and her partner Michael T. Mashl, his sister- and brother-in-law, Holly Goff Marcks and Jeffrey Earl Marcks, and his nephew, William Arren Broussard, Jr. He was 58 years old.

James was born in Austin, Texas on November 4, 1964 to Marjorie Leafdale Loehlin, on leave from her position as assistant professor of English at the University of Nebraska, and John C. Loehlin, whose appointment at the University of Texas at Austin brought the family to Texas from Nebraska. The family settled in Rollingwood. It was here where James grew up, becoming fast friends with his next-door neighbor Steve Bené.

James was an imaginative child with an intense focus on his passions, starting with trains and dinosaurs. He showed an early talent for drawing. In high school, he produced editorial cartoons for the high school and neighborhood papers as well as artwork for the yearbook and other publications. He excelled in class, served on the student council, participated in Boys State, managed the baseball team, and in his free time enjoyed fishing and riding his bicycle all over town. He first began acting in high school, including playing Claudius in Westlake's production of Hamlet for the University Interscholastic League one-act play competition.

Around the Loehlin family dinner table, standard grammar was expected, questions of etymology were investigated using the dictionaries kept in the dining room, and straight lines were pounced on. All family members, except the dog and cat, were avid readers. It was with his family that James first attended performances at Shakespeare at Winedale, the program that would play a central role in his life.

After graduating from Westlake in 1982, James was admitted to the Plan II Liberal Arts Honors program at the University of Texas at Austin and continued to develop his love of theater, participating in the Shakespeare at Winedale program in 1983 and 1984. After graduating with highest honors in 1986, he attended St. Anne's College, Oxford as a Marshall Scholar, acting in and directing several plays both in Oxford and at the Edinburgh Fringe. He traveled in Europe with friends and his sister, who was studying in Germany. Following his time at Oxford he pursued a Ph.D. in Drama and Humanities at Stanford University, graduating in 1993. He then taught in the Drama Department at Dartmouth College for five years, serving as Director of the London Foreign Study Program.

It was during his last year at Stanford, at Steve Bené's wedding, that James had the fabulous luck of reconnecting with his childhood friend, Laurel Goff. Though friends since third grade, it was love at first sight for two people who had known each other their whole lives. They dated from opposite sides of the US for three years before getting married and moving Laurel from Houston to Hanover. They were married in Austin on May 4th, 1996 at the Umlauf Sculpture Garden. They settled into their new snowy environs for what they thought might be their permanent home. In the third year of their life in Hanover, the University of Texas came calling.

In the summer of 1999, James became an Associate Professor at the University of Texas, in advance of the 2000 transition of leadership of the Shakespeare at Winedale program from Professor Emeritus James "Doc" Ayres, who founded the program in 1970 outside of Round Top, Texas.

James served as the Director of Shakespeare at Winedale for 23 seasons, leading his students in an intense exploration of Shakespeare's works through performance in the Texas countryside. During the academic year, he taught modern drama and world literature as well as Shakespeare.

His scholarly writing focused on drama in performance. He published books on Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, Henry IV, and Henry V, as well as Chekhov's The Cherry Orchard and Marlowe's Doctor Faustus; he is also the author of The Cambridge Introduction to Chekhov and co-editor, with David Kornhaber, of Tom Stoppard in Context. He directed, acted in, or supervised productions of thirty-five of Shakespeare's plays, as well as all four of Chekhov's major plays and works by Marlowe and Stoppard.

Beloved as a teacher, James inspired hundreds of students to achieve academic and personal excellence with his passion, empathy, gentle guidance, and rigorous commitment to scholarship. He received multiple teaching awards, as well as the Pro Bene Meritis award, the highest honor bestowed by the UT College of Liberal Arts.. He continued teaching and writing after being diagnosed with cancer early in the summer of 2022. While he was in the hospital and at Christopher House, dozens of current and former students came to visit and to tell him how much he had meant in their lives.

James and Laurel loved to travel together: seeing friends, attending the theater, and eating great food. Their hosting is legendary. They loved to entertain. Together, they held poker nights, cooked gumbo for their famous New Year's Eve parties, and hosted his classes for dinners and movies. In recent years, they learned some swing dance moves, and would do their best to practice without knocking anything over. Most of all, they just enjoyed each other's company, and spent a lot of time at home doing just that. They were ridiculously in love from the first to the last minutes of their time together.

James regularly played basketball with Gardner Selby's South Austin Legends team, and football with Clayton Stromberger's Sunday Morning Touch Football squad. The signed basketball and football from his teammates were prized possessions. He was a connoisseur of steaks and carbohydrates of all kinds, with a particular love for flavor-dusted snacks. He and his cherished friend, Kevin Haynes, delighted in fashioning outrageous cocktails, and making homemade ice cream after midnight. A sudden spike in Laurel's blood sugar untimely curtailed this activity. He found peace in the solitude of fly fishing and loved making day trips to fish the Gulf Coast. Above all other activities, he loved watching UT Longhorns and Dallas Cowboys football. The Horns' September 9th victory against Alabama brought him tremendous joy in his final days.

Together with Laurel, James celebrated holidays with lifelong friends every year, in particular their "Biosphere" and Thanksgiving crews, who met annually for more than three decades. James and Laurel were also delighted to reunite with Dartmouth friends in recent years.

Laurel is grateful to the care of the Christopher House, whose supportive approach kept them together, and allowed them one last dance, and to the community that has celebrated his life. She would also like to offer boundless love and thanks to the Winedale staffers who stepped into the breach these last two summers: Allison Dillon, David Higbee Williams, Clayton Stromberger, and Robin Grace Soto.

James is preceded in death by his parents, John C. and Marjorie Leafdale Loehlin, Laurel's parents, Elbert Wayne and Gloria Jane Schladoer Goff, his aunts and uncles Marian Loehlin Davies and Richard S. Davies, Margaret Loehlin Shafer, Norris Leafdale, Maxine Leafdale Downer and Kenneth Downer, and his cousin Christopher Harris.

His survivors include the love of his life, Laurel Loehlin, his aunts and uncles Mildred Loehlin Harris and Richard Harris, James H. Loehlin and Allie Walker Loehlin, Byron Shafer, Judy Leafdale, and numerous cousins. He will also be deeply missed by his extended family, cherished friends, and former students.

James's Birthday Picnic and Memorial will be held at Winedale on Saturday, November 4, 2023, at 11 a.m. For those unable to attend, a recording will be made available. More details about the event are available HERE. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Shakespeare at Winedale and Christopher House.

"He was a man, take him for all and all,

I shall not look upon his like again.”

 

Posted online on September 23, 2023

Published in Austin American Statesman

 

CELEBRATING JAMES'S LIFE

 

Please join the Loehlin family in celebrating James Loehlin’s life at Winedale on Saturday, November 4th, from 11 AM - 4 PM, on James’ 59th birthday.

Bring a picnic lunch and beverages to enjoy on the grounds. Dress is casual. There will be many ways to participate, connect, and celebrate during the day.

The Barn will be reserved as a space for contemplation and reflection. Prepare a letter for James to hang in the barn. read more

Families with kids of all ages are encouraged to attend; there will be a kid’s tent with activities.

Parking is limited, please carpool if you can.

 

Schedule

11:00 Am   Grounds Open

12:45 PM  Bell Rings
Please begin to gather under the pecan trees for the service.

1:00 PM - 2:00 PM Memorial Service

2:00 PM - 2:15 PM Group Photo & Toast

2:15 PM - 4:00 PM Open Picnic Time

What to Bring

Be prepared! Weather can be fickle during this time of year at Winedale. Rain, wind, or shine, we will be celebrating James.

A list of things you should bring: 

• Picnic, snacks
• Plenty of water
• Camp chairs, picnic blankets
• Lawn games, sport balls, &c.
• Bugspray
• Layers
• Sunscreen
• Musical Instruments