Mr. James Carlos Ewing

JAMES CARLOS EWING was born on a day that only comes around once every 4 years. He was born on leap day, February 29th, 1932. For this fact, he liked to joke that he was really one fourth as old as everyone thought. Aside from his deft humor, James was known for his many other talents. He was a gifted sketch artist, watercolor painter, pianist (self-taught), guitar player, and cook.

His service of God began at Central Baptist Church, where he professed hope in Christ at age 11. He later became Superintendent of the Sunday School, attended the Baptist Training Union, and volunteered with the Boy Scouts program.

His parents, James and Ernestine, emphasized the importance of education to each of their 7 children. James built his life around this message, becoming a lifelong learner and a champion of education for others.

He graduated from Sumner High in 1949 and Stowe Teacher's College in 1953 where he served as Class President, was a member of the Omega Psi Phi fraternity, and a member of the Men's Athletic Association (M.A.A.)

After graduating from Stowe, James was drafted into the Army, where he served on active duty from 1954 until 1956; he remained in the reserves until he was discharged in 1963.

James was fond of telling stories about his time in the service. One of his most poignant stories was about his return to St. Louis. Interested in furthering his education, James walked into the admissions office at a major local university, only to be turned away because they were not admitting people of color. Though he eventually earned his Master's in Education, he was deeply hurt by this rejection. In the Army, everything had been integrated, he said. Coming back home was a rude awakening.

This experience motivated James to get involved in the Civil Rights movement, including sitting in at department store lunch counters.

With his formal education behind him, James devoted the rest of his time to two of his life's greatest loves: educating others and starting his own family.

He married Maudine Webb in 1958, and the couple bore two children: Kimberly Maureen (1963) and Korey Darelle (1973).

James and Maudine both taught at public schools in St. Louis City. He went on to become a principal, but in the evenings, for some time, he used his drawing skills to create visual aids and decorations for Maudine's 2nd grade classroom.

As a principal, James was a pioneer. He pushed to overcome great obstacles in service of helping kids understand their value. For example, he was as the first African American principal at two South St. Louis elementary schools. He was one of the first St. Louis City principals to experiment with bringing personal computers to classrooms. Maybe most notably, under his leadership and the help of his staff in the Caring Communities program, parents of children at Walbridge Elementary School were empowered to fight for their community. They began organizing and using resources to turn around the years of poor school involvement, drug crime, and other ills that weigh people down. Caring Communities brought back hope. James and others were honored for this work with a trip to the White House and a chance to meet then President Clinton.

In retirement, James continued to tutor children of all ages, driving for many miles to the learning center to help kids learn math concepts-until the pandemic hit in 2020.

James was diagnosed with COVID-19 on August 7th. Though he lost consciousness early on, his body continued to fight the virus, beating the expectations of his doctors right up until his last breath. He passed peacefully in his sleep in a room on the 14th floor at Barnes Jewish Hospital, on the evening of September 9th, 2020. He was either 88 or 22, depending on who you ask exemplified the qualities of empathy, compassion, and wisdom that you would expect to find in an 88 year-old.

James's last  known  words  were  "I've  been  lucky."  We  who loved  him  have  been  the  lucky  ones.  He exemplified the qualities of empathy, compassion,  and wisdom that you would expect to find in an 88-year-old.At the same time, he had the physical strength, the mischievous grin and the stubbornness of a 22 year-old. These qualities made him a great dad, husband, principal, teacher and leader.

James was preceded in death by his parents: James Henry Ewing and Ernestine Hall Ewing; and  his brothers, Kenneth and Gerald.

He leaves his cherished memory to his wife, Maudine Webb Ewing; his two adult children, Kimberly Maureen and Korey Darelle (wife Aany); his two brothers, Marvin (wife Mattie), and Monroe (wife Ruth); his two sisters, Beverly Boyd and Rosemary Campbell; and his grandchildren, Isaiah James, Julius Tazmin and Oliver Tazmin.

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