George Martin Curtis III

April 11, 1935 – September 19, 2023

Dr. George Martin Curtis III (aka Jimmy, Jim, Dad, Papa, GM, & Dr. C.) was born on April 11, 1935, to Louise Scully Curtis and George Martin Curtis II in Washington D.C. That geographical aberration was soon remedied when the family returned to the their hometown of Clinton, Iowa, where Jim grew up surrounded by grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, and siblings Chase, John, and Lynn. Jim described his years in Clinton with deep affection and gratitude. (“The Midwest is best every time!”) He loved caddying for his Dad and Gramps, his paper route, baseball (Yes! His love for the Cubs started very early!), and the smell of sawdust at the family millwork factory. He spent many happy summers at the Walloon Lake Michigan home of his maternal grandparents, learning a love of sailing, swimming, and sweet peas.

Following a family tradition, Jim attended The Hotchkiss School in Lakeville, CT. He then bucked family tradition and went to the University of Iowa, graduating in 1958 with a BA in history, a wife, Julie Vogel Curtis, and daughter number 1, Rebecca. Daughters number2,3,4,&5 (Louise, Anne, Sarah, and Jessica) followed in rapid succession as Jim pursued his masters and PhD in American Revolutionary History at the Universities of Kansas and Wisconsin.

In 1968, Jim took a position teaching at Montana State University in Bozeman. The house was always full of his students, colleagues, family, and friends. During this time in Bozeman, in addition to teaching, he was also a part of a campaign to rewrite the state constitution. In 1973, The family moved to Williamsburg, VA, where Jim worked for Colonial Williamsburg, The Papers of John Marshall, and taught at the College of William and Mary. In 1980, he accepted a teaching position at Hanover College in Hanover, Indiana, where, except for a one-year stint in 1986-1987 in Springfield, Illinois spent organizing and setting up the editorial project for The Papers of the Law Practice of Abraham Lincoln, he stayed through 1996. During those Hanover years, the house was always full of students, colleagues, friends, and family (including a growing number of grandchildren!).

In 1998, Jim moved to Indianapolis, and worked with Liberty Fund until 2002.After his “retirement”, He continued to read, to write book reviews, essays, and letters. He continually added to his beloved library and his classical music cd collection! He enjoyed the times his house was full of family and of friends (many of them former students), and the times he spent in the company of just his books. He told wonderful stories of his youth, of sailing down the Atlantic seaboard during a hurricane in the Whisper, (a 25 foot sloop!), of fishing in the Keys, of working at a lumber camp in Oregon, of working in Normandy, France. He was a very good photographer, and many family evenings were spent looking at slides of European Cathedrals that he and Julie had taken for a museum in Omaha, Nebraska during their honeymoon.

Jim was fiercely competitive, loving the challenges of swimming, sailing, chess, and conversations. He had a deep appreciation for the beauty of fine wood and craftsmanship, be it found in a home or in a boat. A deeply hospitable man, Jim’s fridge was always well stocked with the beer he loved, and there were comfortable chairs in every room to encourage long conversations. As the recipient of numerous grants and endowments, he was perhaps most proud of being awarded the Bayhnam Award for Teaching three times while at Hanover, an award voted on by the students he encouraged, harangued, taught, and loved.

Jim was a teacher, raised teachers, and believed deeply in the power of education to change the life of a child, a community, a nation. In lieu of flowers, please consider a memorial contribution to The Oaks Academy at www.theoaksacademy.org or 1301 E. 16th Street, Indianapolis, IN 46202.

The last year of Jim’s life was very difficult, health wise, but his family is so very grateful that he was able to die peacefully exactly where he wanted to be, in his home surrounded by his books, the windows bordered by sweet peas and open to the sounds of water and cottonwoods.

Jim is survived by his former wife, Julie Vogel Curtis, daughters Rebecca Corson, Louise Curtis, Anne Steger (Jay), Sarah Zimmerman (Geoff), and Jessica Curtis; Grandchildren Chase Hagans (Tracy), Elissa Hagans, Shauna Shelley (Joshua), Julianne Brown (Chris), Frances Farthing (Michael), Curtis Steger, Benjamin Zimmerman, and Nashua Zimmerman; Great grandchildren Christopher and Isla Hagans, Marion, Solomon and Marta Shelley, and Rainey and Zeke Brown, as well as by his brother Chase (Lynne) and numerous nieces, nephews, great nieces and nephews, and cousins.

God, thou from death dost lift me. As I rise,

Its Lethe from my garment drips and flows.

Ere long I shall be safe in upper air,

With thee, my life-with thee, my answered prayer

Where thou art God in every wind that blows,

And self alone, and ever, softly dies,

There shall my being blossom, and I know.

George MacDonald: Diary of an Old Soul

Allons-y Papa…we’ll see you in a minute.

A visitation for George will be held Tuesday, October 10, 2023 from 12:30 PM to 1:30 PM at Crown Hill Funeral Home, 700 W 38th St, Indianapolis, IN, followed by a memorial service at 1:30 PM.

Contributions in George's memory may be made to The Oaks Academy , https://www.theoaksacademy.org/giving/.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.crownhill.org for the Curtis family.