James A. Caron

[ Originally published on: Thursday, July 24, 2008 ]

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- James A. Caron, 60, of Washington, former resident of Northfield, Mass., died unexpectedly Friday (7-18-08) at his home.

He was born in Brattleboro, Vt., July 7, 1948, the son of Fernand ''Chick'' and Agnes (Garmalo) Caron. Jim grew up in Northfield and was a 1966 graduate of Pioneer Valley Regional School.

Jim joined the U.S. Air Force in 1968, and upon graduation from the Defense Language Institute in Monterey, Calif., he flew reconnaissance missions as a Vietnamese translator in Southeast Asia for over two years.

After his military service, he returned to rural Massachusetts where he worked on the Boston & Maine Railroad before returning to college to complete a Bachelor of Science degree in Agricultural Economics (magna cum laude) from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and then a Master's degree from Cornell University.

James had lived and worked in Washington, D.C., for more than 30 years. Before retiring in 2005, Jim was an economist with the U.S. Department of Agriculture for more than 25 years, most recently as Associate Deputy Administrator for Transportation Services.

During his distinguished career, he traveled extensively oversees to Asia, Europe, Latin America, Africa and the Middle East and also participated in a number of humanitarian and foreign assistance projects. He received the Secretary of Agriculture's Honor Award three times and at his retirement, received the Distinguished Service Award, USDA's highest honor. Mr. Caron was a member of the Transportation Research Forum and the Transportation Research Board, National Academy of Sciences.

James Caron was recently the subject of a Washington Post newspaper article entitled, ''Juror Skewers Prosecutor's Case in Drug Trail'' (Jan. 2, 2008), regarding his letter to U.S. District Court Judge Richard W. Roberts after his 10-month jury service on a major D.C. criminal case. Mr. Caron complained to Judge Roberts about the magnitude of the alleged crimes, the lack of evidence presented by the prosecution to substantiate the serious charges, and the enormous cost of the trial. ''As a society, we want to get the right people,'' Mr. Caron said. ''We don't want to just get people.''

Besides his mother of Northfield, he is survived by his beloved wife of 18 years, Mary M. Brennan of Washington, D.C.; his sisters, Michaelyn Caron of Vernon, Vt., and Denise Caron Winemiller of Las Vegas, Nev.; a niece and a nephew.

A graveside service will be held on Saturday, July 26, 2008, at 2 p.m. in West Northfield Cemetery on Mount Hermon Station Road. A memorial service will be held at St. Patrick's Catholic Church in Northfield at 4 p.m. of the same day.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Jim's memory to the Washington Animal Rescue League (www.warl.org) or the National Arboretum, care of Dr. Thomas S. Ellis (tom.elias@ars.usda.gov).

 

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