James George Shokoff

He was predeceased by Ruth Mary Collins Shokoff to whom he was married for 57 years. He said that his greatest achievement in life was “meeting and marrying Ruth who has been at the heart of everything that has mattered to me.”

Jim was born in Teaneck, New Jersey on August 18, 1935 to the late George M. Shokoff and Mary (Magee) Shokoff.

He is survived by his daughter Elisa Shokoff of New York City and Fredonia; his son Christopher M. Shokoff and daughter-in-law Elizabeth (Juelke) Shokoff of Hillsborough, New Jersey; and four adored grandchildren: Meghan Shokoff, Michael Shokoff, Katherine Shokoff, and William Shokoff, all of New Jersey.

He is also survived by his brother-in-law Frank Martini of Hamilton, New Jersey; sister-in-law Dr. Sheila D. Collins of New Rochelle, New York; his nieces Patricia (Martini) Burkhart, Frances (Martini) Varnum, Laura (Martini) Woodward, Dr. Jennifer Collins, and Dr. Megan Collins; and his nephew Nicholas Martini. He is predeceased by his sister Patricia (Shokoff) Martini and his nephew John Martini. His brother-in-law the Reverend John A. Collins died on January 27, 2025.

Jim grew up in New Jersey, a state he loved and which was a source of great friendships, family, and opportunity. He attended Palisades Park Public Schools and graduated from Leonia High School in 1953. For a full year after high school, he drove a taxicab and began reading widely on his own, launching a life-long love, especially of Shakespeare. He was devoted to sports, particularly the Brooklyn Dodgers & the Rutgers Scarlet Knights; and served as a sports reporter for the Hudson Dispatch.

Inducted into the U.S. Army in December of 1954, he was stationed in Furrth, Germany from 1955-56. During this time he traveled and forged friendships with people from all over the world while also deepening his passion for literature and history. His experiences whetted his appetite for college, which had always been, as he said, “more of a dream than a possibility”. On the day of the College Boards (now known as the SATs) in Furrth, Jim was denied a leave. A sympathetic sergeant helped him to sneak off the base, getting him to the testing site just minutes before the exam. All went well and Jim was admitted to Rutgers University in New Brunswick, NJ as a “probationary student”. He made the Dean’s List every semester of college, eventually became the editor of the Rutgers literary magazine Anthologist, and worked at Rutgers University Press. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree in English Literature in 1960. Decades later, it was a joyful experience for him to see three grandchildren also graduate from Rutgers.

In 1960, Jim was awarded a Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship and began studies for his Master of Arts degree at Columbia University in New York City. While in graduate school, to support his young family, he took a job as a caseworker for New York City’s Department of Welfare, while also studying at Hunter, Baruch & City Colleges for his teacher certification. In 1962, he began teaching English at Benjamin Franklin High School in East Harlem. Late in his life, Jim remembered his years at Ben Franklin as among his most exciting and fulfilling, loving both his students and New York City.

Jim went on to earn his Ph.D at the University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana, where he wrote his dissertation on the poems of William Wordsworth. He also edited the book The Voices of War, a collection of writings on war, published by John Wiley & Sons in 1972.

On September 1, 1970, Jim was appointed Assistant Professor of English at SUNY Fredonia, marking the beginning of a great professional and personal association. Fredonia always reminded him of his beloved Palisades Park. In his tenure, he taught many classes in English and film, and served as Chair of the English Department for six and a half years. There, he made lasting and treasured friendships. He retired as a Full Professor on September 1, 2005.

Jim once calculated that, in his career, he taught a total of 43 years plus 17 summer sessions, a sum that indicates his devotion and dedication to this calling. He loved it.

He also loved writing. He won the 1973 First Prize in the Charles Lamb International Essay Competition, sponsored by Temple University and The Wordsworth Circle. He published scholarly articles on literature and film, and delivered papers at conferences throughout the United States, and in England and Canada.

He was awarded two National Endowment for the Humanities fellowships, one at the East Asian Institute at Columbia University, New York City; and another at the University of Rochester. He was also the recipient of a National Defense Education Act Fellowship at San Francisco State University. In the 1980s, he served as a juror for the American Film Festival, American Library Association; and was a founding member and twice elected president of the Mid-Atlantic Popular Culture Society.

In his retirement, Jim and Ruth traveled in Europe and particularly loved Maine where Jim hiked extensively with his daughter. Well into his 60s, he was very proud to climb the Precipice Trail on Champlain Mountain in Acadia National Park, and Doubletop Mountain on the western edge of Baxter State Park. He continued and expanded his love of reading (especially Shakespeare, Wordsworth, and Keats), music, film, and theatre. His devotion to Rutgers sports remained constant, along with the Buffalo Bills-both the subject of all-consuming, endless conversations with his son and grandchildren. But best in his life were long walks by Lake Erie with Ruth and long dinners, followed by movies at home on Leverett Street.

The Shokoff family would like to thank the aides and nurses at Fredonia Place and Brooks Hospital, and friends who were wonderful to Jim in these last few years. Their kindness and care are breathtaking.

A gathering to celebrate and honor his life will be announced at a later date. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that contributions in Jim Shokoff’s memory be made to a place Jim loved–the 1891 Fredonia Opera House, P.O. Box 384, Fredonia, N.Y. 14063. (716) 679-0891.

On-line condolences may be made at larsontimkofuneralhome.com.