James Maxwell Osborn
September 10, 1929 ~ August 8, 2019
Born in: Ypsilanti, Michigan
Dr. James (Jim) Osborn, age 89, passed away peacefully on August 8, 2019. Jim was born September 10, 1929 in Ypsilanti, Michigan to Gerald and Dorothy Osborn. The family later moved to Kalamazoo, where his father was head of the Department of Chemistry at Western Michigan University. Jim received his PHD in mathematics in 1955 at the University of Michigan. He taught at Ohio Sate University before coming to Georgia Tech in 1957 as Associate Professor of Mathematics for 39 years.
Jim's passion was teaching. in 1987 he was one of two Georgia Tech Outstanding Teacher Award winners. Jim loved his family and church. In his leisure time he enjoyed gardening, international folk dancing, traveling, music and games. He leaves behind his wife of 64 years, Sara Roberts Osborn, daughter Noel (John Alley), sons Keith (Karina), Kenneth and Roy; six grandchildren; six great grandchildren.
There will be a celebration of Jim's life on Saturday, September 7, 2019 at 2:00 pm at Memorial Drive Presbyterian Church, 5140 Memorial Drive, Stone Mountain, Georgia.
In Lieu of flowers, gifts may be given to Memorial Drive Presbyterian Church, the Employee Appreciation Fund at Park Springs, the American Parkinson Disease Association, or charity of your choice.
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Jim was such a sweet man. He was always mild-mannered and cheerful. I remember the cookouts at Mathis Dairy back in the late 70s or early 80s where Jim and Sarah loved to be in charge of cooking out the burgers and hotdogs for the department get-together. Fun was had by all! My thoughts go out to Sarah and family.
Very distinguished English dancer and gentleman. Missed he and his wife the last few years
It was always a pleasure seeing Jim and Sara at English Country Dance. Jim will be greatly missed.
I have known Jim and Sarah from 1976 on during my international folk dance days and beyond. He was a gentle giant, in folk dance as well. He wasn’t the most graceful dancer they would say but if you wanted to follow anyone dancing Jim was the one because he was always most accurate. A great human being. He shall be dearly missed.
I was very saddened to see this, which I just stumbled upon from an online search–after completing a Georgia Tech alumni survey, wherein I listed Prof Osborn as a major influence from my time at Tech. Prof Osborn was the most significant positive influence I encountered while an undergrad at Tech in the early/mid-1990s; I nearly changed my major to math after Prof Osborn’s “Honors Calculus II, III, IV, V” sequence. The conspicuous neckties he always wore (made by his wife, I recall him once telling the class) were a fun highlight in the classroom each morning. His Calculus classes were the most stimulating and formative educational experiences of my life. In retrospect, after having been in a classroom for 30+ years–for 20+ yrs on the student side of the table (first grade through a PhD at UCLA), and then teaching college-level classes myself–I consider Prof Osborn to be tied w/ Mrs Dorothy Flanagan (who taught science at North Augusta High School for 50+ yrs) as the most deeply gifted teacher and educator I’ve ever met. Though I didn’t know Prof Osborn beyond he classroom, he did always strike me as being a quite upstanding and decent human being. I’m sure he’s deeply missed by his family–I convey my condolences to you.