James B. Bishop b. 1935 d. 2016

James B.Bishop, age 81, passed away unexpectedly on Saturday, February 27 at home. He was born in 1935 in Emporia, Kansas to Ralph and Virginia Bishop. After graduating from Emporia High School he went on to the University of Kansas where he earned a Bachelor's in Political Science. He continued at KU with graduate studies in the Western Civilization Program and served as an Instructor in the program. In 1963 Jim began graduate work in Political Science at Northern Illinois University where he also served as an Instructor. Jim accepted a position as Assistant Professor of Political Science at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. His areas of concentration were Constitutional Law and American Government.

After teaching, Jim was employed by the U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Stastics as a Social Science Analyst/Senior Field Representative covering parts of six states. He specialized in the Producer Price Index and the Import Price Index. Jim retired after over twenty years with the Bureau, but didn't stay retired long. After a few months Jim went to work for a longtime friend, Darrell Foss, at his State Farm office. For about five years Jim got to have more fun than any time since he was teaching.

In 1956 Jim married his great love, Dorothy Ann Cresap. They moved to Topeka, Kansas when she was teaching at Washburn University. While in Topeka their son, Douglas, was born. The family moved to DeKalb when Dorothy accepted a position as an Assistant Professor of Speech at NIU. Jim and Dorothy were avid fans of the opera. They were Lyric Opera of Chicago subscribers since 1974. After retirement they traveled frequently, especially to the Santa Fe Opera each summer. After Dorothy's death in 2010, Jim continued to subscribe to numerous opera and theatre groups in Chicago.

Jim was proceeded in death by his parents, Ralph and Virginia and his wife, Dorothy. He is survived by his son and daughter-in-law, Douglas and Kathy (Kremer) of Pittsburgh, PA and a granddaughter, Emily Ann, of Leeds, United Kingdom. He also leaves behind a wonderful collection of friends who shared good food, the arts and good company, including Jan Nelson a fellow fine arts aficionado.

There will be no service. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that you make a donation to your favorite arts organization. Arrangements were entrusted to: Finch Funeral Home 310 Oak St. DeKalb, IL, 60115 (815) 758-3841