James H. Cobb was an American author of the Amanda Lee Garrett thrillers and an avid student of military history and technology.
Background
James H. Cobb was born on February 18, 1953 in Tacoma, Washington, United States. His mother was Kathy Cobb. He grew up in Tacoma. From early childhood Jim's yearly visits to Idaho Falls, accompanied by his grandmother, Anna Nyegaard Cobb, taught him the history of the city and his family roots. Anna, born and raised in Idaho Falls, loved it dearly and a small book of hers is in the Bonneville County Museum Library. Jim's great-grandfather, James Sorenson Nyegaard, was a businessman and part of the early development of the fire department. Jim's great great uncle, C. A. (Algot) Carlson was police chief for 23 years.
Education
Cobb graduated from Lincoln High School in 1972, then graduated from the University of Puget Sound with B.A. in Business Administration and English in 1976. As a young boy, he loved spending time on his uncle’s ranch in Eastern Washington.
Career
James's career spanned such diverse occupations as ranch hand, truck dispatcher, disk jockey, and book store and theater manager. Then he became a writer. His big break came with his Amanda Garrett series. James not only wrote his own books, but generously shared his passion for a good story. He spent hundreds of hours encouraging and mentoring aspiring writers, appearing on panels at conventions, and working with his critique group. He spent most of his life in Tacoma, moving to the rural Tenino area in 2008. He died of cancer on July 8, 2014.
Achievements
James was a master storyteller and author. He is best known for his Amanda Garrett series. He was commissioned a “Kentucky Colonel” by Governor Paul Patton in recognition of his achievements.
James's political views are described as Independent.
Views
Quotations:
“Beyond that, we’ll have to see.”
Membership
James was a member of the United States Naval Institute and the Navy League.
Personality
When asked how he was doing, he always gave a smile and a cheerful “fine”. James so deeply appreciated life and the people around him that he could overlook his own troubles to help others bear theirs. James was a man of diverse enthusiasms, including western and military history, classic cars, ghost stories, firearms, science fiction, and UFOs. He maintained an enormous book collection. He loved to travel the back roads in his 1960 Thunderbird “Lisette”, attending car shows, researching his books, telling stories round the campfire, and poking around the wilderness country of our own west, as well as visiting countries from Morocco to China.
Interests
Wargaming on the Internet and elsewhere, classic cars, firearms, western history, Japanese animated science fiction, ghost stories, and classic children’s literature
Connections
James was married to Kathryne, an international banker.
