James Raymond Wilcox was born on January 20, 1931, in Minneapolis, Minnesota to Florence Bradley Wilcox and Arthur Noble Wilcox and grew up in St. Paul, Minnesota where he attended Murray High School.  In 1953, he graduated from the University of Minnesota with a bachelor’s degree, and then spent two years in the United States Army.  James earned an MS degree from the University of Minnesota and a Ph.D. from Iowa State University.  After completion of his service in the Army in 1955, James married Mary Amelia Roepke, and together they raised two children, Barbara Jean and Steven Bradley.   Mary preceded him in death in 2021 after 66 years of marriage.

James’ entire professional career was with the United States Department of Agriculture.  He spent five years as a geneticist with the Forest Service at the Institute of Forest Genetics in Gulfport, Mississippi.  There he conducted genetics research on cottonwood and sweetgum.  In 1966 he and his family moved to West Lafayette, Indiana when he transferred to the Agricultural Research Service affiliated with the Purdue University Agronomy Department.  There, he worked as a soybean research geneticist until his retirement in 2000.  During this time, he conducted research and cooperated in the development of soybean cultivars with disease resistance and improved yield.

James also conducted research on quality characteristics of soybeans by creating strains with altered composition of soybean oil.  Using his research, he created strains with improved digestibility of soybean meal.  The results of his research were economically important on a global scale and remain so today.

James was recognized internationally for his research.  He consulted and taught soybean breeding and genetics in several European and South American countries, Thailand, and China.  He was elected Fellow of the American Society of Agronomy, of the Crop Science Society of America, and of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.  In 1989, he received the International Prosoja Award at the World Soybean Research Conference in Buenos Aires, Argentina.  He published numerous research papers on soybean genetics and breeding methods and was editor of the monograph, “Soybeans: Improvement, Production and Uses”, 2^nd edition.

James was an avid follower of Purdue sports, attending both men’s and women’s sporting events for more than 50 years.  James could often be found ushering fans to their seats at various sporting events.   He was a member of the Lafayette Kiwanis Club and an active visitor to the Ely Kiwanis Club in Northern Minnesota.   James was a member of St. Andrews United Methodist Church in West Lafayette, Indiana for more than 50 years.

James loved the outdoors and enjoyed hunting, fishing, backpacking and camping across North America including many adventures with family members.  He led an active life – swimming, walking, and participating in strength exercise programs.  He was happiest participating in family and church activities, at gatherings during the holidays, and at the family cabin in Ely, Minnesota.  He enjoyed time spent with close friends and readily made new friends wherever he was.

James was preceded in death by his wife, Mary Wilcox, parents, Aurthur and Florence Wilcox, older brother, David N. Wilcox, and younger sister, Susan A. (Wilcox) Ault.  Jim is survived by his daughter, Barbara Jean (Wilcox) Richards, her husband Kenneth, son Steven Bradley Wilcox, his wife Melissa, granddaughter Cassie Elise Wilcox, Cassie’s mother, Theresa (Koontz) Wilcox, sister-in-law Judith Roepke, and several nieces and nephews.

A memorial service will be held at St. Andrews United Methodist Church in West Lafayette, IN at 2:00 pm on Saturday, January 6, 2024.