James David Oldson - Obituary

ames David Oldson September 24, 1941 – August 18, 2023 James D. Oldson, PhD passed away on August 18, 2023 at the age of 81 in Edgewater, MD. Throughout his life, he earned the titles of beloved son, brother, husband, father, uncle, grandfather and friend. His career included stints as a corporate executive, university professor, and consultant. He was an active member of St. Mary’s Church in Annapolis, MD and served as a Eucharistic Minister to hospital patients, homebound communicants and at Sunday mass. He also served on St. Mary’s School Board. Jim loved his family, the NY Yankees, vanilla ice cream and imitating Donald Duck to any child who would listen. Jim was born in Hampton, Virginia in 1941 to James and Kathryn Oldson (nee Zephir). While his father served in the military, Jim lived in Virginia, Mississippi, Okinawa, and Louisiana. Jim graduated from St. John’s High School in Shreveport, LA where he was a star football player. He earned his bachelor’s degree in Accounting from Centenary College, his master’s degree in Accounting from Louisiana Tech University, and his doctorate in Business from George Washington University. His professional career included twenty years as a manager and corporate executive with Montgomery Ward, Mobil Corporation and Bell Atlantic. While earning his doctorate at George Washington University, he served as an adjunct professor teaching undergraduate and graduate courses in business management and public policy. He also served as a consultant to NIH, the Pentagon, Johns Hopkins Medical School, Beretta Corporation, the National Cathedral, Hanwha Group, and the Department of Agriculture, among others. After earning his doctorate, Dr. Oldson accepted visiting professor positions at Lincoln University in Christchurch, New Zealand; Loyola University in Chicago; Long Island University in New York; and Salisbury University in Maryland. As a member of the International Academy of Management, Dr. Oldson presented research papers in Romania, Vancouver, Canada, and Chicago. During his tenure in the education field, Dr. Oldson had a significant impact on both students and clients. He was recognized by the GWU student body and Lincoln University with Outstanding Teacher Awards and was inducted into the GWU Emeritus Society. Jim is survived by his wife, Phylis, daughters Lisa (Heiko) and Christine (Todd), sister, Katharine, nieces Rachel (Simon), Eden (Jerry), Melissa (Travis), nephews Darren (Jennifer) and Scott, sister-in-law, Judy, brother-in-law Rob (Linda), eight grandchildren (Nate, Sydney, Ros, Katie, Elliott, Amelia, Gigi, and Oliver), and great nieces and nephews (Amanda, Trevor, Zach, Sheinah, Amaris, Raenan, Asher). Jim was preceded in death by his brother, Bill. A memorial mass will be held on Saturday, September 23rd, at 9:00 a.m. at St. Mary’s Church in Annapolis, MD. In lieu of flowers, we would welcome contributions to the St. Mary’s Diversity Scholarship program in Jim’s memory. Checks can be made payable to St. Mary’s School, with a note indicating the Oldson Diversity Scholarship program, and mailed to St. Mary’s School, 111 Duke of Gloucester Street, Annapolis, MD 21401. Please contact Phylis by Wednesday, September 20 if you plan to attend the reception afterward. Online condolences may be made using the Memories tab on this page.