Deceased July 4, 1976
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In Memory
Jim Boicourt was killed by an avalanche on July 4, 1976. He was alone, scouting a climbing route on Mt. Ypsilon in Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado, when a large portion of the seasonal cornice broke off high on the mountain and funneled down the 2,000-foot long couloir on the eastern face.
Were Jim unhappy or at the end of a long life, perhaps some solace could be found in his dying in the mountains that he loved. But he was just beginning his prime. He was blessed with a good marriage, a law career that held great promise and a home in Denver, near the Front Range, the Medicine Bows, the Wind Rivers and the Tetons, which he knew well.
Jim formed an interest in language and writing at Amherst, and it carried him through the few restless years after graduation. He received an M.A. in linguistics from the University of Massachusetts in 1970 and then spent a year as a reporter for the Daily Hampshire Gazette in Northampton. 1974 was a year of milestones. In June he graduated from Georgetown Law School and joined the Denver firm of Holland and Hart. On Aug. 4, in Dedham, Mass., Jim married Kristen Gately Johnson.
Because of Jim’s interest in the out-of-doors, Holland and Hart was a fortunate choice for a law firm. His specializing in water law afforded the opportunity to work outside and travel in the Rocky Mountain region. Many of his fellow attorneys shared his interest in the mountains and provided skiing, hiking and climbing partners. Jim’s easy, natural athletic ability, shown on the track team at Amherst, found a focus in Denver in basketball, skiing and climbing. Although he was an experienced, cautious climber capable of ascending difficult (5.8) rock routes and a member of the American Alpine Club, Jim’s love for high country was not limited to strenuous, adventuresome climbing in alpine crags. He was also happy camping, hiking, skiing in even the more rounded Appalachian Mountains. He knew the White Mountains of New Hampshire well, having climbed 42 of the 46 peaks over 4,000 feet in height (many of these in winter) and enjoyed introducing the mountains to boys during the four summers he taught at Camp Mowglis in Hebron, N.H.
Jim’s integrity, his gentleness and lack of pretense and his quick smile combined in a rare ability to make friends. His companionship we will miss intensely, whether in the mountains or the lowlands.
Jim is survived by his wife, his parents, a sister and his brother Bill ’66.
A scholarship fund has been established in Jim’s name to help allow indigent members of the Glee Club join foreign tours.