Jerre James

Jerre Helen James of Kalamazoo, also known as Jerre Locke James, passed away peacefully on Saturday, March 7, just 4 days shy of her 93rd birthday. She was born Geraldine Helen Locke in Oak Park, IL on March 11, 1933 to Phillip and Helen Locke and was soon affectionately called Jerre by her father. Jerre travelled a lot in her youth, splitting time between Anaheim, California and Kalamazoo, Michigan. After graduating from Anaheim Union High School in California, Jerre enrolled in the theater program at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois. Her passion for dance soon took her out of Northwestern to train with the prestigious Ballet Russe in New York, where she also trained and danced with Robert Joffrey. Her success in New York led to Yugoslavia, where she trained for a solo career with famed dancer Ana Roje and performed with the National Ballet. After returning to the U.S., Jerre earned a bachelor's degree in drama from Kalamazoo College and did more acting, playing Abigail in The Crucible and securing a summer acting role at the Red Barn in Saugatuck. She then ventured back to California to test her talents in Hollywood where she danced professionally with the Hollywood Bowl Dancers, Moro-Landis, and Music Circus while earning a master's degree in theatre from the University of Southern California, in Los Angeles. In 1963, Jerre returned to Kalamazoo, where she met her husband, attorney Donald Earl James, at a single adults' dinner group sponsored by the First Presbyterian Church. They were married later that year and Donald later served as a Judge for the City of Kalamazoo District Court. In the 70s Jerre opened her first dance studio, Ballet Arts, in the basement of their home and later opened a location on Rambling Road in Kalamazoo near Stadium Drive. In 1982, Jerre and partner Bette Joachimi founded the local nonprofit Ballet Arts Ensemble, Inc. which continues to thrive today. Jerre spread her love of dance through work with numerous organizations including the Community Cultural Planning Task Force, the Arts Council of Greater Kalamazoo, Western Michigan Cecchetti Council, and the Kalamazoo Regional Arts Dance Council. She also served as president of the Kalamazoo Lawyers Wives organization, Vice President of Presbyterian Women, a member of the Kalamazoo Symphony Association and was active in Service Club (now the Junior League of Kalamazoo). She was also an avid painter and served as a docent and supporter of the Kalamazoo Institute of Arts. Her many honors include the 1997 Kalamazoo Community Medal of Arts and, in 2007, she became the first recipient of the Community Dance Advocacy Award bestowed by the Western Michigan University Partners in Dance. She is survived by her two sons, Frederick (Megan) James of Portage and Brian (Susan) James of San Carlos, CA; two grandsons and two grand-daughters. She was preceded in death by her husband and younger brother. A memorial service will be held at 10:00am Saturday, April 11th, at First Presbyterian Church, 321 W. South St, followed by a reception for family, friends and supporters of the arts. Memorials may be directed to Ballet Arts Ensemble Balletartsensemble.org. To view Jerre's personalized guestbook please visit www.langelands.com