<!-- FH = Klingner-Cope Funeral Home at Midtown -->James Alan McCord1940 - 2011Jim McCord, the son of Charles Calvin McCord and Katherine Lucille (Gott) McCord, was born on May 26, 1940 in Springfield, Missouri and passed away after an extended illness, on October 14, 2011 at St. John's Hospital in Springfield. Raised in north Springfield, Jim attended public school at Bowerman, Reed and Central High. In school Jim distinguished himself for brightness and non-conformity. He simply walked to the beat of a different drum. He even described himself as "a contrary" because he frequently saw things from a different perspective than most people.Others spoke of him using the word "genius". Certainly, there was a flair of unique brilliance that ran through his family. His Grandmother was the late May Kennedy McCord, whose radio program "Hillbilly Heartbeats" was heard in four states. She was a very popular speaker, an authority on Ozark folklore and her writings appeared in the St. Louis Post Dispatch and the Springfield New-Leader. She was the recipient of many honors including recognition in the Library of Congress. Befriended by notables like Robert Frost, Dewey Short, known entertainers and others-no one was more dear to Jim's grandmother than the common folks of Southwest Missouri.She bequeathed Jim with a love for the Ozarks and its people. Jim's Great-Aunt, Vera Courtney Thomas, was a world famous opera singer appearing in lead roles with Caruso. Jim's father played Mozart on the piano from memory by ear. His cousin, Charles McCord is a national figure having reported news on radio and television for forty-eight years. His sister achieved notable success academically and later as an executive living in the San Francisco area.The innate capacities of Jim and his sister, Patricia McDonald Preston were nurtured by their mother who dedicated ten percent of the familly income to their training and education. Both played the piano and Jim exhibited unique artistic capacities, even in grade school, winning a national drawing contest featured on the Lone Ranger radio show. Throughout school, teachers lamented that Jim was brilliant but would not apply himself. It may be that he didn't apply himself, however, after graduating from college, he attained a law degree at Washington University, graduating second in his class-a fraction of a point behind the top student, even though he was absorbed in editing the law school journal. Following law school, he received a full scholarship to the Ivy League earning a Master's Degree in public management at the University of Pennsylvania. Jim turned down offers from top New York law firms to become an editor for the professional legal journals of the Practicing Law Institute in New York and Commerce Clearing House in San Rafael, California. As a writer, no less than seventeen publications were credited to him. One of his studies, a book, has been cited in a Supreme Court Case.While still in high school, Jim married Joyce Jones in 1957. Although their marriage ended in an early divorce, they continued to hold each other in affectionate regard throughout life. After a stint in the Marines and an extensive time as a writer and editor for professional law journals, Jim dropped out spending two years "bumming the world", to use his expression. Jim became a vagabond living on the streets, painting scenery and traveling the rails and roads of Europe. He frequented pubs, slept in barns, consorted with drunks, visited writers and mystics and viewed the great museums and galleries of the continent.After a two month EuroRail tour of Europe, he returned to Springfield where he took up art selling numerous paintings across years of time with his work appearing beyond Missouri in galleries or museums as far away as New Orleans. He became obsessed with meditation, attempting to void his mind of words allowing visionary experiences to occur. Jim was attempting to open himself to transcendence and immanence in a reach toward God. In late life, he was very involved in putting his writings and paintings on a Web Site (See http://www.jimmccord.com) and producing a book on the reconstruction of philosophy.Jim held his family, school friends, football and marine buddies, academic and work associates and a host of dear friends in high regard. Perhaps, he has finally moved beyond the confinements of convention, transcending the incarcerations of the ordinary, in the reach for his highest inspirations and aspirations.James McCord was preceded in death by his father and mother and by other dear family and friends. He is survived by a sister, Patricia McDonald Preston of Sonoma, California; by a nephew and niece, Brooks McDonald of San Francisco, California and Kelly Stratman of Oakland, California; and by cousins, Charles McCord, Charles Gott, Janie Gott Corn and Lee Gott, all of Springfield, Missouri. Visitation will be Tuesday evening 6 -8:00 p.m., and funeral at 11 a.m., Wednesday in Klingner-Cope Funeral Home at Midtown, 1635 N. Benton, with Dr. James R. Kellett officiating. The internment will follow in Maple Park Cemetery.