A celebration of the life of Douglas A. James, a long-time professor of zoology and biology in the J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences, will be held from 3-5 p.m. Sunday, March 31, at the Mount Sequoyah Center, 105 N. Skyline Dr., in Fayetteville. Family, friends and colleagues will gather to share memories and toast James' life. All are welcome.

James, 93, died on Dec. 17, 2018, at the Willard Walker Hospice Home. He is survived by his wife, Elizabeth Mary Adam, and his three daughters, Sigrid, Helen and Avis.

James served as a professor of biological sciences at the U of A from 1953 to 2016. When he retired, he had become the longest-serving professor in University of Arkansas history.

He was also considered the authority on the birds of Arkansas, co-authoring Arkansas Birds with Joseph C. Neal in 1986. He became one of the state's leading conservationists in the second half of the last century, helping to start the Arkansas Audubon Society in 1955 and the Arkansas Audubon Society Trust in 1972.

James attended the University of Michigan, receiving a B.S. in 1946 and an M.S. in 1947. At the University of Illinois, studying under the famous avian physiologist and ecologist S.C. Kendeigh, he completed a doctoral degree in 1957 on the ecology of roosting blackbirds.

Painting by Sigrid Bonner

In 1953, he was offered a position as the first ornithologist at the U of A by Samuel Dellinger, who at the time was head of the Department of Zoology.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in James' memory to the Arkansas Audubon Society Trust. The trust helps conserve natural resources by supporting scientific research and education.