James Brann, dashing 60's era reporter and former Chairman of the Department of Journalism at Boston University died of a combination of pneumonia and heart related issues on March 8th, 2025, after a brief stay at Newton Wellesley Hospital in Newton, Massachusetts. He was 91. He died peacefully, surrounded by his 3 sons, Sean, Michael and Terry and his beloved partner of many years, Andrea Reynes.

James had a long, interesting life as a reporter, writer, father, professor, screen writer and avid beach-goer. He had a deep love for jazz, favoring classics like Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald, Erroll Garner and Duke Ellington.

Born in Canton, Pennsylvania, Jim was the oldest son of Wilson and Mary Brann. He joined the Marines out of high school (in 1953), trained at Parris Island, and then transferred to the Naval Cadet Program in Pensacola, Florida for flight training.

After his military service, James completed his BA degree at Penn State University, graduating in 1958.

He worked for several news agencies and was a consultant for many organizations including the Ford Foundation, the US Department of Health and Human Services, the American Association for Higher Education, the US Department of Labor, Boston University, MIT and several other colleges and universities.

His articles were published in Columbia Journalism Review, Nieman Reports, The New Republic, The Nation, The National Observer, The Boston Globe, The Boston Herald, The Washington Post, The Atlantic and the New York Times.

When James worked on the Harrisburg Patriot News (his first job), he was part of the media group that followed John F. Kennedy's presidential campaign in 1960. He was amazed by the crowd turnout at all the events. The crowds were enamored of the young, handsome, war-hero candidate. On that trip he warned Pierre Salinger (JFK's soon-to-be press secretary) that a farm boy or disgruntled veteran in Pennsylvania was liable to take a shot at JFK. He had the wrong state, but it was a sadly prescient prediction.

In 1961, James did an in-depth interview of Martin Luther King for the Patriot News.

Later, as the Vietnam war progressed, Jim flew all around the country (and to Berlin) to cover the campus protests. Many of the protests were violent, fires were set and some bombings occurred. During this time, Walter Cronkite would appear on the nightly CBS news with a map of the United States behind him, showing a pulsing red dot for each university where some violent protest had occurred that day. Many of the protesters he interviewed expressed a desire to have their own college represented by a glowing red dot on Walter's map.

He was the Assistant Director of the team that produced the book on unrest at San Francisco State College: SHUT IT DOWN! A COLLEGE IN CRISIS! James also wrote many articles on clean water issues.

James met Carol Baish when they were both working in Harrisburg and they were married in 1962. They had three sons; Sean, Michael and Terry, and moved to Baltimore. Jim and Carol loved to take their sons to the museums in Baltimore and DC, to Fort McHenry in the Baltimore harbor and swimming and picnicking at Oregon Ridge in Cockeysville, MD.

In 1972, Jim and Carol separated and Jim went north with the 3 boys to live in Newton, MA and begin a teaching career at Boston University. He was the Chairman of the Journalism Department from 1973 till 1980 and continued as a professor until 1998. During this time Jim continued to take his sons for outdoor adventures including hikes in the White Mountains (especially Mt. Chocorua), swimming at Crane's Beach, cross-country skiing at Sargeant Camp, visits to Fort Ticonderoga and island camping on Lake George.

At Boston University, James made some of his greatest friends, surrounded by professors who were avid students of history and loved to discuss the current events of their day. His best friend there was James P. O'Donnell who had been a news correspondent in Europe during World War II and wrote The Bunker. Mr. O'Donnell had personally met many of the important leaders of that time. Sometimes the two professors would enjoy Red Sox games together and at Cornwall's Pub in Kenmore Square play the Trivial Pursuit game run by the bartenders. They were unbeatable.

When Jim retired he bought a small house in Tiverton, Rhode Island, the part of the world he seemed to love the most. There he enjoyed photography and scriptwriting, and would occasionally drive north to Boston to visit friends and family. But his favorite activity was to visit the beautiful beaches near his home. He loved to take his grandchildren to the beach, on whale watches, out for ice cream and to Red Sox games.

Jim met his beloved partner Andrea Reynes (a Boston area animal care specialist and writer) at Boston University. They shared a love for reading, writing, discussing current events and visits to the New England seashore and hiking trails.

James is survived by his 3 sons, Sean, Michael and Terry Brann and his partner Andrea Reynes, as well as his brother Paul Brann. He adored his 8 grandchildren, Emma, Isobel, Tamar, Joseph, Sebastian, Charlotte, Liam and Beckett.


The funeral will be held on Wednesday, March 12th in the Burke & Blackington Funeral Home, 1479 Washington Street in West Newton. Visiting hour will begin at 11:00 AM followed by a prayer service and remembrances at 12:00PM. All are welcome to attend.

In lieu of flowers, please make a donation in Jim's name to Save The Bay at https://savebay.org/ . This organization works to protect and improve the beaches and estuaries that make up Narragansett Bay.


Jim will be buried on Thursday, March 13th, in a private ceremony at the Massachusetts National Cemetery in Bourne, Massachusetts (coincidentally, the same cemetery where his friend James O'Donnell was laid to rest).