James Raymond Denbow

James (Jim) Raymond Denbow passed away peacefully in Austin, Texas, on July 18, 2024, surrounded by family and friends. Born on December 14, 1946, in Marshalltown, Iowa, he was the son of Robert and Dorothy (Carlson) Denbow.

Jim grew up in the small rural town of Roscoe, Illinois, as the eldest of three children, alongside his sister Joyce Prescott and brother John Denbow. With a natural curiosity and intellect, he was the first in his family to attend college, achieving this milestone at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. While searching for a summer job, Jim signed on as a laborer for an archaeology professor's expedition east of Saint Louis. Despite having no prior anthropology classes—he was a chemical engineering major at the time—Jim discovered an aptitude for archaeology and switched his major to anthropology upon his return in the fall.

In addition to discovering his passion for archeology, this is also where he met Jocelyn (Josie), who became the love of his life and his wife of over 50 years. Their love story began when he needed his pants mended, leading to a lifelong partnership. After a brief courting, Jim had joined the Peace Corps and asked Josie to marry him and join him in Malawi. After wrapping up her last year of university, she obliged and they were married July 6, 1968, and spent the remainder of their lives together exploring Africa and eventually Texas.

Jim and Josie’s love and admiration for African culture never faded and their time there provided an endless source of stories to recount over the years. Together, they established and taught at the first secondary school in Maun, Botswana on the edge of the Okavango Delta. While completing his PhD research, Jim worked for the National Museum of Botswana first as a curator and then as the first Director of Antiquities at the National Museum of Botswana from 1979-1986. In 1986, Jim accepted a professor position at the University of Texas at Austin, where he taught for over 30 years. He returned often to Botswana, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, continuing his research and gathering more tales to intrigue and enlighten his students, friends and family.

While a well-respected academic in the field of southern African archaeology, he was most proud of his family. In 1976, they welcomed their son Jeremy and in 1982 their daughter Jennifer. Josie and Jim always encouraged academic pursuits and delighted in their children’s achievements.

Although he lived in Austin for almost 40 years, his heart always remained in Africa amid the people and culture for which he had such respect and felt most at home. Over the years, he fostered the academic goals of innumerable students, encouraging their intellectual ideas about African history. He especially took an interest in working as a graduate advisor to many PhD candidates, fomenting the growth of research and studies in the continent he loved so well.

Jim’s heart was broken when he was proceeded in death by his lifelong partner and spirit, Josie, in July of 2023. The two shared all the challenges and triumphs their lives could bring. His “Paris Cinderella” was his everything and he would quickly tell you he couldn’t believe that she had chosen him all those years ago. Jim is also preceded by his brother John. He is survived by his son, Jeremy Denbow, his daughter, Jennifer Kennedy, and his sister, Joyce Prescott.

A celebration of James's life will be held in Austin on August 24, 2024. His memory will live on in the hearts of those who knew and loved him.