James P. Place Obituary - Visitation & Funeral Information

James P. Place, 79, of Syracuse passed away peacefully on Thursday, May 12, 2022 at Upstate University Hospital surrounded by his loving family. Jim was born in Detroit, MI to the late Ivan and Anna (Poole) Place and grew up in Corning, NY where he later graduated from Corning High School. Jim was a man of diverse interests and many creative talents. He started traveling after graduating high school, receiving his B.S. and M.S. in English at Alfred University and never stopped adventuring to faraway places. These journeys partly inspired his great love and appreciation for cooking, culture, and languages. One of his gifts to Onondaga Community College, where he was a professor of English for over 24 years, was creating The International Travel Club, which became one of the school’s most active entities. Jim customized trips to Europe, and spent time making sure they were informative, fun, and full of interesting and authentic experiences. He always used what he had learned and used personal photography in his courses to make content more interesting and relevant to students. Jim's family owned The Victorian restaurant in Corning, New York. He was very young when he started to help out in the family business. He told people, “I think that is where my interest in food and cooking was born." When Jim cooked, he also loved to entertain, making sure that the meal was a visual feast for the eyes. Beaming, he loved to hear actual gasps from people when he brought out his famous cheesecake. Jim was known for making and gifting his cheesecakes to family, friends, and anyone who was just going through a difficult time. As a faculty member at OCC, Professor Place’s contributions to his students, staff, and fellow faculty in Collegiate Instructional Development and Service are extensive. He volunteered to take on a major office renovation in the English Department, working out each detail and seeing it through to completion, all while teaching a demanding course schedule without missing a beat. Jim created an introduction to literature and composition textbook for the department because he felt that industry textbooks were too expensive and contained exhaustive material that was never used. He was involved with Instructional Development at OCC and developed many courses, such as Dramatic Literature I and II, and Police Academy in Report Writing. A few of the committees that Jim was a member of were Chair of the Faculty Scholarship Committee, the Search Committee for the English Department, and the Orientation Committee, and Recruitment Committee. Jim loved every moment and aspect of his time as Professor at OCC. He especially enjoyed his mentorship and connection with students. He would attend their sports events and meet with them off-hours to accommodate their work and childcare schedules. Many students became his friends. Jim also took time to nurture his working relationships with faculty and staff in all areas of collaboration and development. He believed that this was important to the success of the students, the department, and the college. Nothing could come close to his love and devotion to his daughter Stephanie. She was the best part of his life, and they shared a special bond and loving relationship. They enjoyed fishing, horses, and especially each other’s company. In their physical separation from each other on this earth, “death leaves a heartache no one can heal" but "love leaves a memory no one can steal.” Jim and Marsha stayed good friends and spent holidays together. They never stopped being a family. Stephanie and Marsha were Jim’s first, and he might say, “only family.” He was always devoted to each of them. Jim is survived by his beloved daughter, Stephanie Place and her mom, Marsha (Romeo) Place, who know how blessed they were to have such a loving and generous man in their lives. Jim would also want to acknowledge his close friends from Syracuse, Michael and Anne Marie Geiss, Jim Resti, Corky Dunlap, and his caring community of friends at Imperial Gardens. Calling hours will be held on Monday, May 23, 2022 from 4 – 6 pm immediately followed by a funeral service in celebration of Jim’s life at 6 pm at the THOMAS J. PIRRO JR. FUNERAL HOME, 3401 Vickery Rd. (corner of Buckley Rd.) North Syracuse. Jim loved his students and believed every student could succeed with effort and hard work. He encouraged and assisted them in applying for available scholarships. In lieu of flowers, the family asks for contributions to be made in memory of Professor James P. Place to the Onondaga Community College Foundation at 4585 West Seneca Turnpike, Syracuse, New York, 13215 or online at www.sunyocc.edu/give. All donations will support OCC students in his memory.

James P. Place

May 8, 1943 - May 12, 2022