James R Julca
James Julca, beloved teacher, husband, brother, father and grandfather passed away peacefully at his home in Santa Barbara, CA on May 13,2021 at the age of 85.
In 1963 he began a series of trips back to Peru to court a woman he had known since childhood, Maria Antonieta Lint. After she agreed to marry him, they embarked on some years of careful planning before they were wed in Lima Peru in 1966. The planning paid off. After their wedding, they moved to Santa Barbara, raised a son and daughter, and remained together for 55 years until his passing.
James had a quiet but steadfast faith in God, acquired from his parents and shaped by his own curiosity and understanding of the universe. His love of learning the Bible led him to occasionally write and share about what he discovered.
James was born in Cajamarca, Peru on December 16, 1935, to Esperidion Julca, a Peruvian pastor, and Rachel Julca, an American nurse and missionary. James is survived by his wife, Maria Antonieta, older brother Elgyn,daughter Raquel, son and daughter-in-law Jamie and Kate, and grandchildren, Hadley and Lily.
Always interested in science, he came to the United States at 17 to study chemistry at Pasadena College (now Point Loma Nazarene University), where he earned a BS in chemistry. He earned his MS at SDSU, and then worked at UCLA as a research chemist for the Atomic Energy Project with the focus of finding peacetime applications for the then new field of nuclear energy. In the 1960’s James discovered his enduring love of teaching when he came to Santa Barbara City College to start the chemistry department. Even after his retirement from SBCC in 1996, James continued to occasionally teach and consult for another 15 years. His students knew him for his unique sense of humor, wonderfully hand-drawn lab manuals, and willingness to spend time beyond the classroom with any who wanted help in understanding science.
A memorial service will be held Saturday August 21st at 1pm at Shoreline Community Church located at 935 San Andres St, Santa Barbara, CA 93101 in the reception hall.