James M. Huttlinger, 1953-2006

I received word the other day that the archives community had suffered a loss. Jim Huttlinger, who spent the bulk of his career at the World Bank Archives, passed away on December 5. He was 52 years old. I knew Jim from my time at the International Monetary Fund Archives, when we collaborated in 2004, on an exhibition to commemorate the 60th Anniversary of the Bretton Woods Conference. This conference resulted in the formation of the World Bank and the IMF.

The obituary information was adapted from an obituary distributed to World Bank staff and from the local paper in Lake Placid, the Press Republican.

Jim was born in Lake Placid on Dec. 28, 1953. Jim received his M.L.S. in Library Science and an M.A. in History from the University of Maryland HILS program, a dual degree masters program. It was here that Jim met Lucinda Fitch of Phoenix, Ariz., a fellow library science student while taking a class in The History of Books and Printing. They were married on Nov. 11, 1989, in Washington, Missouri.

Jim made significant contributions during his years at the World Bank. One notable accomplishment was his involvement in a project to research and compile information for a tribute to former World Bank president, Robert S. McNamara. In 2005, during James S. Wolfensohn's final days as president of the World Bank, Jim personally assisted Mr. Wolfensohn in compiling and organizing his personal archival information. He thoroughly enjoyed his work and co-workers and he was strongly committed to the World Bank's goals of promoting worldwide social justice and economic equality.

In addition to his wife Lucinda, Jim is survived by one brother, John B. Huttlinger Jr. and his wife Karen of Lake Placid; two sisters, Retta Huttlinger of Winooski, Vt., and Tierney Beck and her husband Mark of Bennington, Vt.; one nephew, John B. Huttlinger III of Lake Placid; two nieces, Katie and Lauren Beck of Bennington, Vt.; and numerous other relatives and close friends who will miss him greatly.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made in Jim’s name to Care Organization or Bread for the City. At Jim's request, he was buried next to his parents in Lake Placid, NY. My thoughts and prayers go out to Jim's wife at this time.