John W. Kalas

John "Jim" William Kalas, 89, of Albany, NY, beloved father and grandfather, passed away on September 19, 2022 of natural causes.

Jim had strong intellectual interests in philosophy and theology in addition to his equally strong call to service; throughout his career he remained committed to equality, inclusion, and social justice. Son of Harry Henry Kalas and Margaret Poole Kalas, Jim was born and raised in Naperville, Illinois.

Jim graduated from North Central College in 1955. He received his B.Div. from the Chicago Theological Seminary in 1958 and a Ph.D. in Philosophy from Columbia University in 1962. Jim's passion for swimming and his college accomplishments as an athlete remained important beyond graduation and he continued to compete at national and international swim meets until he was 70 years old. Jim was honored at the age of 45 to be named the fifth fastest swimmer of his age group in the world. He loved conversation and friendship, from "the Julian Street Jewels" of his youth, to his community at Albany's Trinity church, to the friends he made in the last year of his life. His deep appreciation for jazz music and global cultures enriched his life. After teaching philosophy at Lake Forest College in Illinois, Jim joined the Vista program of volunteers in Washington, D.C. in 1966. As director of extension services at Mary Holmes College in West Point, Mississippi, Jim found ways to allocate federal money for community development, voter registration, and Head Start programs, working hard to improve early childhood education in Mississippi and economic opportunity for African Americans. The sense of purpose that he felt about his work in support of civil rights and diversity in education continued throughout his career. He served as Vice President of Bacone College in Muskogee, Oklahoma, and then worked as a consultant at Doug Trout Associates in Washington, DC.

Jim worked for more than thirty-five years for the State University of New York, a career that began in 1974 overseeing research administration at the SUNY Washington office. He moved to the SUNY Research Foundation in Albany in 1979. He was an associate provost at the SUNY system in various capacities including the coordination of different campus projects in technology, economic development, and international programs. He served as acting provost and then acting president of SUNY Potsdam, where he was proud to have turned the campus into a local shelter in response to the terrible ice storm of 1998. During the last stage of his career, he taught higher education administration at SUNY Albany until his retirement in 2016. He is the author of The Grant System (Albany: State University of New York Press, 1987) and articles on ethics in education.

He was predeceased by his wife, Mary Dugger Kalas; his brother, Harry Kalas, of Philadelphia; and his stepson, James Martin Miles.

He is survived by his four children, Andrea Kalas (Chris Reiner); Gregor Kalas; Justine Kalas Reeves (John Reeves); and Rayna Kalas (Jeremy Braddock); their mother and his first wife, Barbara Nelson; and four grandchildren. His survivors also include three nephews, Todd Kalas, Brad Kalas, Kane Kalas, and two stepchildren, Heather Miles and Michael Miles.

A memorial service will be held at Trinity United Methodist Church, 235 Lark Street in Albany, NY, 12210, on Saturday, October 1 at 11:00 AM.

Donations in his memory can be made to Trinity United Methodist Church in Albany.