Obituary for James Lee Milson

James (Jim) Lee Milson of McKinney, Texas passed away on May 12, 2017 at the age of 79 years. He was born on June 9, 1937 to Evitt Lee and Maurine (Gibbons) Milson in Fort Worth, Texas. After graduating with a Bachelor’s Degree in Chemistry from Texas Wesleyan, Jim worked briefly in industry, and then taught science at Nolan Catholic High School in Fort Worth. In 1970, he earned his Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Texas, Austin and accepted a faculty position in science education at the University of Texas at El Paso. It was in El Paso where he met and married Buena “Dusty” Turner on April 22, 1975. He was a professor in the Department of Teacher Education at the University of Texas at El Paso from 1970 to 1999, and was head of that department for 17 years. At UTEP, he served as an advisor for the Departments of Physics and Biology, a member of the School of Nursing Advisory Board, and developed many special courses for science teachers. Jim was totally devoted to training teachers in the sciences. In addition to his university duties, he was a lifetime member of the Science Teacher’s Association of Texas, organized two Conferences for the Advancement of Science Teaching (CAST) meetings, and served as the association president for several years.  Jim also served on the El Paso INSIGHTS Science Museum board where Dusty was the executive director. One of his contributions to the museum was the design and direction of volunteers that fabricated a large Tesla coil, one of the largest in the United States in 1993. The device generated lighting bolts several feet long. After a demonstration of this device, it was not uncommon for kids visiting the museum to give a standing ovation. Jim was quoted as saying: “And one of the best things is, they ask questions like ‘what do I have to study in college to know how to do something like this?’” He was on the review board of the National Science Foundation and worked with the Texas Education Agency to develop new science programs for teachers. When Jim retired from UTEP in 1999, he was honored by his faculty colleagues and the UTEP administration with the title of Professor Emeritus. He was loved and well respected by all the teachers he mentored throughout his career and his impact on field of science education will continue for many generations.

Jim is survived by his wife, Buena Milson of McKinney, Texas; son from his first marriage, Andrew Milson and wife, Lori of Plano, Texas; daughter from his first marriage, Amy Klemmer and husband, Michael of Mequon, Wisconsin; step-daughter, Jaci Caldwell of Austin, Texas; grandchildren, Colin Milson, Isabel Klemmer, Madeline Klemmer, and James Klemmer; brother, Thomas Milson and wife, Carol of McKinney, Texas; and numerous other loving family and friends. He was preceded in death by his parents.