Dr. James (Jim) Eaton, Professor of Economics, Emeritus, died Jan. 24, 2026. He was 78.
Eaton was born in Tulsa, Okla. He earned a B.S. in 1969 and an M.B.A. in 1971, both from the University of Arkansas. In 1981, he earned his Ph.D. in economics from the University of Missouri, and his dissertation was selected as one of the top three in the nation on economic history in 1982. He taught at Arkansas State University and Glenville State College before coming to Bridgewater College, where he taught for 27 years, from 1985 until his retirement in 2012.
Eaton created and taught a course on the economics of baseball, spent a semester teaching in China in the spring of 1989, served as Department Chair from 2005-2012 and contributed to numerous publications in his field, including presentations at the American Economic Association and Western Economic Association conferences. Devoted to his community, he was a longtime member of the St. James United Methodist Church and the Bridgewater Rotary Club.
He is survived by his wife of 56 years, Mary Widdowfield Eaton, and their three children, Amanda Eaton Keller ’97, Elizabeth Eaton Herr ’97 and Matthew Eaton.
2/16/26
