Partner in the Picture: Jim Kvach (1945-2026)

Ever the Builder – A Tribute by Ben Eland, executive director

Last month, we bid a mournful goodbye to longtime Boxerwood board member and dear friend Jim Kvach.

Jim joined the Boxerwood board in 2013 – the same year I joined the Boxerwood staff. From the beginning, I was fortunate to work alongside Jim on a range of garden and facilities projects. There are many Boxerwood icons that he built or helped maintain, often with a volunteer group he started and led, dubbed "The Boxerwood Warriors" — proof that his board service was only part of what he gave to this place. 

Jim and this crew could be called on for small projects or for the big ones: they built the Roost, our beloved outdoor classroom. They built the shade structure over the mud kitchen in the Play Trail. When it was time to replace all of the windows in our offices for energy efficiency, they swooped in and did all the work themselves. They repainted the Lodge exterior – in one day! Jim also took on a number of solo projects: he built the performance stage near the pavilion, the steps to the Fairy Forest, and the storage shelves in the barn. When you walk into the Lodge, you'll pass through a screen door built by Jim. (The list goes on and on, but these are a few highlights.)

Jim helped keep the physical spaces at Boxerwood functional and beautiful, but even more importantly, he was an outstanding model of integrity, generosity, a good work ethic, and kindness. He was an excellent leader and a true friend. After working alongside Jim for over a decade, my language is peppered with phrases I picked up from him: "Let's not confuse motion with progress," or "Don't let the perfect be the enemy of the good." When I think about how to be a good leader, I think of Jim. He had an innate leadership gift, helping us move forward as a team toward whatever goal he'd set.

It always seemed to me that Jim must have lived several lives to have accomplished all that he did. When I first met Jim, I would hear him casually mention, "During my academic career…" or "During my military career…" and I would think, "Just how many careers did this guy have?" For some years I knew him only as an exceedingly kind, capable man who did extraordinary things for Boxerwood, before I learned about his PhD in microbiology, his research, and all the ways he served his country.

This level of accomplishment was true of Jim in retirement as well: he did much more than I would have thought possible for one person. In addition to his deep and long-running service at Boxerwood, he helped build 37 homes for Habitat for Humanity, and donated literal tons of food from his garden to Rockbridge Area Relief Association's Neighborhood Grocery, every year, for 19 years. He was a beloved husband, father, and grandfather. He was a good man. He made the world a better place, and he will be dearly missed.