Lasting Memories

James Breedlove
Aug. 28, 1937-June 12, 2018
Menlo Park, California
Submitted by Beth Mattsson

James Breedlove passed away peacefully at the home of his daughter and son-in-law in Menlo Park, on June 12 surrounded by his loving family and close friends after a brief illness. Jim was born on August 28, 1937 in Fort Worth Texas to Charles and Winifred (McShane) Breedlove. He graduated from University of Texas, Austin with a Master’s degree in Latin American History in early 1960s. In 1968 he was recruited by Stanford University to become the Curator for the Latin American & Iberian Collections for the Center on Latin American Studies. He would serve in that capacity for the next 25 years. Upon his retirement he moved to Mexico. First to Chiapas, and then to Oaxaca in 1998, where he resided until his passing in 2018. When asked what he was most proud of in his life, he answered: "Libros para Pueblos." This is the non-profit organization in Oaxaca that he co-founded with his dear friend, Tom Dunham in the 1990s that is still growing and going strong to this day, and that he retired from helping with just a couple of years ago. He truly had a passion for helping others in this particular way, that is giving children, who would not otherwise have it, the opportunity to develop a love of and experience the pure magic of reading, that was so important to him his whole life. The family would like to thank the nurses and doctors at Stanford Hospital, including the hospitalists from Palo Alto Medical Foundation, as well as Mission Hospice of San Mateo for their loving care of James during his illness. Jim is survived by ex-wife, Lucy Taylor, and children, Katie Breedlove, Beth Mattsson (Matts), sons, Larry Breedlove and Philip Breedlove, his beloved dog, Roxanne, and his many dear friends.