Ralph and Barbara James Memorial Scholarship in English

Award descriptionScholarships totalling $2,000 have been made available annually by Arlene James through a gift from the Ralph and Barbara James Family Fund held at the Jewish Community Foundation of Greater Vancouver, in memory of her parents, Ralph James (1923-2014) and Barbara James (1929-2020). The scholarships are for outstanding Bachelor of Arts students majoring in English Literature. Ralph was born in Vancouver, British Columbia and received a Bachelor of Commerce from UBC in 1947 after serving with the Canadian Army in World War II. He started his own business, Ralph's Auto Supply, in 1961. Barbara (n?e Fingard) was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, and moved with her family to Vancouver at age sixteen. She took home economic classes at UBC, and enjoyed fishing, boating, and traveling. Ralph and Barbara were voracious readers and committed to education, and this scholarship was established in their memory to encourage students in their study of literature. The scholarships are made on the recommendation of the Department of English Language and Literatures.