Concordia Magazine

Dr. James Coomber

Dr. James Coomber began his career at Concordia in the English department in 1966 and became a full professor in 1986. He was also chair of the department from 1984 to 1988 and again from 1996 to 2001. He was the division chair of Languages, Literature and Cultures from 2005 to 2007.

Coomber earned his bachelor’s degree from Wisconsin State College, Platteville, a master’s degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and a doctorate in curriculum and instruction with an emphasis in education and English from the University of Arizona.

Coomber also taught for public schools in Platteville, at North Dakota State University, Fargo South High School, the University of Calgary, Hamline University, and at workshops and graduate extension courses at several other institutions.

Coomber’s many awards include a National Teaching Fellowship, an American Lutheran Church Faculty Growth Award, a Red River Valley Heritage Society Educator Award, North Dakota Humanities Council research grants, Midwest Book Achievement Award and many others. He was also honored with the Ole and Lucy Flaat Distinguished Scholarship Award for 2001-02.

He led the annual Conference on Reading and Writing for 12 years, a summer event that regularly drew more than 400 elementary and high school teachers to campus. He also wrote numerous articles and papers and created a business writing course.

His list of publications includes a seven-book vocabulary series he wrote with Howard Peet titled “Wordskills,” which became the publisher’s best-selling book nationwide. With Sheldon Green he wrote “Magnificent Churches on the Prairies: A Story of Immigrant Priests, Builders and Homesteaders” and “Unwanted Bread: The Challenge of Farming and Ranching on the Northern Plains.”

His colleagues agree he has always walked many extra miles for his students. He was calm, polite and willing to try new things. “The man is just incredibly kind and patient and ideal to work with on a long-term project. Didn’t get rattled. Very calming effect when you have Jim around,” says Green, photographer/writer, Communications and Marketing, and partner with Coomber on two books.

“Most importantly, I believe, he encouraged everything. Every idea was worth following until it ran its natural course. Because of Jim, the atmosphere in the department was creative and expanding,” says Scott Olsen, professor of English. 

Coomber plans on spending more time with his grandchildren, reading, working in the yard and gardening, which is a hobby of his. He may also be working on a revision of his book “Wordskills.”

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