Memorial Service Set for Jim Yankovich

By WYDaily Staff Friday, May 27, 2011

Jim Yankovich, who spent 22 years at the College of William and Mary as dean and professor in the School of Education, died Wednesday. He was 76.

The College brought him to the area, but his interests extended to public education in general, William and Mary and his community, all of which he served.

He served on the board of Thomas Nelson Community College as well as a variety of civic committees. A number of awards recognized his dedication, including the Award of Appreciation from the Virginia Association of Colleges of Teacher Education. The Society of the Alumni elected Jim an honorary alumnus in 1995. A year later he received the prestigious Thomas Jefferson Award, given annually to a member of the William and Mary family for significant service through influence and leadership.  Jim remained active in the College and the community following his retirement. His work chairing the Crossroads Project, a regional coalition that built consensus towards a shared vision of the community’s future and contributed to the saving of Eastern State Hospital, was recognized with the Prentis Award in 2002.

Born in Richmond on March 15, 1935, the only child of Edna May Mann and Michael James Yankovich, Jim attended John Marshall High School, where he and his future wife, Ann Page Richardson, were high school sweethearts.

Jim received his B.A. from the University of Richmond in 1958, his M.Ed. from the University of Virginia in 1961, and his Ed.D. from the University of Michigan in 1970. Jim’s early career included roles as a teacher, guidance counselor, and assistant superintendent in Virginia and Michigan. He went on to serve as an Assistant Professor, Associate Professor and Dean of Academic Affairs at the University of Michigan at Flint before joining the faculty at William and Mary, where he served as the Dean in the School of Education until 1983. Ten years later, he agreed to return to that office as acting dean, a spot he held from 1993 to 1995.

Jim’s friendly personality, wit, and no-nonsense approach endeared him to students, colleagues, friends and neighbors alike. His musical talent was enjoyed by many, from the Jimmy Yankovich Orchestra in the 1950s, performing on the open-air dance floors along the oceanfront of Virginia Beach and the country clubs of Richmond, to his recent days playing the piano for friends in the lobby at Williamsburg Landing, where he lived for the past two months in the loving care of the staff at Woodhaven.

More important than anything, however, was Jim’s love and affection for his family.  He was preceded in death by his wife of 53 years, Ann, who died in May of 2010, and is survived by their three children and spouses: Kathy and Bruce Hornsby, Julie and Will Hummel, and Michael and Beth Yankovich; and six grandchildren: Brooke Hummel, Keith Hornsby, Russell Hornsby, Alison Hummel, Matthew Hummel and Katrina Yankovich.

A memorial service for Jim Yankovich is planned for Wednesday, June 1, at 4 p.m., at Williamsburg United Methodist Church, 500 Jamestown Rd., followed by a reception at the church where the family will receive friends. Interment will be private. In lieu of flowers, gifts may be made in memory of Jim to the School of Education, College of William and Mary Foundation: College of William & Mary, P.O. Box 1693, Williamsburg, VA 23187.