James Alexander, MN’12
Atlanta Chapter Chair
2013 - 2016
I began attending Chapter meetings in 2010 as a guest of Julie and Alex Wallace. Prior to then, the three of us started climbing various mountains: Mt Rainier, Mt Elbrus and Mt Kilimanjaro. Additionally, my wife Linda MN’16, had an import business based in Cusco, Peru from 1982 - 1995. During that time our family spent several weeks each summer in Peru, Bolivia and Ecuador. These international experiences/adventures piqued our interest in exploration and joining the Explorers Club.
In 2013, we joined an EC Flag Expedition with Pacific Island Research Institute (PIRI) headed by Lynn Danaher and Edmundo Edwards to the Marquesas Islands to document the migration of the Polynesian culture and perform archaeological surveys.
In 2015, we joined PIRI to continue research on the small remote island on Raivavae to survey ancient religious sites.
In 2016, we again joined PIRI to visit Rapa Nui (Easter Island) , the culmination of the Polynesian migration. It is also the home of Edmundo Edwards. One of Edmundo’s dreams was to build a planetarium to teach the people of Rapa Nui about the stars and celestial navigation. Several of us made contributions to see that the planetarium became a reality. It officially opened in June 2019 and the website is www.rapanuiplaneterium.com
In 2017, we returned to Micronesia on another EC Flag Expedition with PIRI to survey ancient sites on the islands of Kosrae-Leluh, Pohnpei and Nan Madol (UNESCO site)
When Alex Wallace was elected to The Explorers Club Board, I became the Atlanta Chapter Chair. He set a high bar so without much experience, I decided to ask fellow chapter members to share some of the responsibilities, including Harry, Hayes, Bill Liss and Steve Pigot. As it turned out, we were a pretty good team. Steve and Bill have gone on to fame and fortune. I appreciated this opportunity as it allowed me to get to know everyone quicker. During this period I attended ECAD and Chapterchair meetings which gave me a deeper understanding of the people and the workings of TEC. As you know, these relationships are special and I am forever grateful.
One of my highlights came during a national Chapter Chair meeting at ECAD. Someone knocked on the meeting door and asked if they could introduce a prospective new member and potential new chapter. The person they were showing around was the Crown Prince of Bhutan. He stayed in the meeting for a short time and I remember how young he was. As it turns out, I am going to Bhutan with Bill and Debbie Liss in April 2023. We hope to meet some of the Bhutan Chapter members while we are there.
Due to a personal situation, Linda and I sold our house in Johns Creek and bought a house in San Francisco in 2014 to spend quality time with our daughter and grandson. We were commuting back and forth between SF and our house on Tybee Island, GA. Because we were not in Atlanta full time, I felt that I should pass on the Chapter chair position to Steve Pigot. While in SF, we joined and attended meetings with the Northern California Chapter. We sold the SF house on January 31, 2022 and are now full time on Tybee. We look forward to attending some chapter meetings with our friends in Atlanta.
I am proud to be in the Inaugural Class 2017 of Famous Firsts and I would encourage you to consider being a participant to support TEC.
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