Bonnie P. James, of Mill Valley, California, passed away on Monday, June 11, 2007, aged 91 years 11 months, 7 days. Married to John E. James Jr. (Jack), (born in Mayetta, Kansas) for 48 years, Bonnie was born on July 4, 1915 in San Francisco, California, the daughter of Byron O. Pickard, of Omaha, Nebraska and Hazel Solley Pickard of Petaluma, California. She grew up in Omaha and Berkeley, California, and graduated from the University of California in 1936.
Bonnie worked for Trans World Airlines in Washington, D.C. in World War II, serving as assistant to the defense attaché for the Republic of China. She also served as a Red Cross volunteer and ambulance driver, transporting returning wounded veterans from their disembarkation points to their convalescent hospitals.
In 1945, Bonnie returned to the Bay Area, where she worked for the United Nations. In 1946, she managed the technical training of 30 Republic of China officials in San Francisco. Between 1947 and 1950, Bonnie worked in the Embassy office of Ambassador J.D. Zellerbach in Rome, Italy.
Bonnie joined the San Francisco-based Committee for Free Asia (later renamed to The Asia Foundation) in 1951, first serving as Assistant to then-President Alan Valentine. In May 1952 she was assigned to the Hong Kong office as their Office Manager. While there, she met John E. James, Jr. (Jack), then Bureau Manager for United Press. They were married on November 18, 1952 in Manila, Philippines.
Bonnie returned from Hong Kong to the Bay Area in June 1953 and resigned from the Asia Foundation just before the birth of their son, David. Her husband, Jack, joined the Asia Foundation as a Program Officer in late 1953. For the next 27 years, the family alternated residences between Marin County and Asia when Jack was assigned to overseas posts as the Asia Foundation's Representative in Korea (1958-1960), Malaysia (1963), Hong Kong (1967-1969), and Thailand (1977-1980). Bonnie and Jack maintained a residence in Mill Valley, California from 1972 until 2002.
In 1966, Bonnie began a 40-year relationship with The Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, where she became a Docent. At the M.H. de Young Museum and the Legion of Honor Museum, Bonnie conducted tours of the galleries and assisted with organizing the de Young library. Bonnie's main specialty was porcelain, and she developed Docent training materials for porcelain that are still in use today. When overseas with Jack in Asia, Bonnie pursued her interests in Asian art by volunteering with the Hong Kong Archaeological Society and with the National Museum in Bangkok.
After Jack's retirement from the Asia Foundation in 1980, they became active as volunteers with the Mount Tamalpais Interpretive Association, participating in Visitor Center staffing, guiding nature hikes on the Mountain, and assisting with the summer Mountain Theatre program.
Following Jack's death in 2000, Bonnie moved to The Redwoods retirement home and resided there until she was admitted to Marin General Hospital on June 6, 2007. Bonnie died there of pneumonia with cardiac complications on June 11, 2007. She is survived by son, David James, daughter in law, Elizabeth, grandchildren Robert and Sarah, all of Las Vegas, Nevada, cousin Nellie Jorgensen of Banning, California, by sister in law and brother in law Gene and Noel H. (Bill) Dickinson of Holton, Kansas, and by brother in law Harold (Ted) Bradford, of Wakeman, Ohio. Bonnie's sister, Emily Anona Pickard, preceded her in death in 1987. Memorial services will be held at 10:00 a.m. Saturday May 24, 2008 at the First United Methodist Church in Holton, Kansas. Burial will follow in Mayetta Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to American Red Cross, 1221 SW 17th St, Topeka, KS 66604.