In the spring of 1963, Jim Gardner walked into a class in the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, not knowing much about writing — or the professor who would soon leave a lasting impression.
That professor was Dr. Jim Evans.
More than six decades later, Gardner is still drawing on what he learned in Evans’ classroom.
“Lawyers are the best-paid writers,” Gardner said. “I spend hours each day trying to decide how to explain a difficult legal concept to a trial judge who will only read a few sentences. The trick is to avoid unfamiliar words so the point can be not only understood — but agreed upon — in mere seconds.”
It’s a principle he first encountered as a student in Evans’ course, where lessons on clarity and readability left a quiet but enduring mark.
“It seems like only yesterday that [Evans] was talking about the different indices used to measure readability,” Gardner said. “Over the years, my appreciation for his insights has only grown.”
That foundation would carry Gardner — and his career — to great heights.
After his junior year, in the summer of 1963, Gardner interned with the U.S. Department of Agriculture in Washington, D.C. (a role Evans helped him land). There, Gardner recalls attending a press conference with President John F. Kennedy. He also contributed to economic bulletins and helped write promotional materials, including a campaign for National Sandwich Week.
Gardner returned to campus to finish his senior year and graduated with his bachelor’s degree in agricultural economics in 1964.
He went on to earn a law degree at the University of Florida in 1967 before being commissioned as a U.S. Navy lieutenant in the Judge Advocate General’s Corps. He served as a military judge in Vietnam in 1970.
After returning to the United States, Gardner embarked on a career in public service. He served as a public defender for Florida’s 12th Judicial Circuit in 1972, then was elected as a state’s attorney for the same circuit in 1976 and again in 1980, serving four-year terms in each role. The 12th Judicial Circuit includes Sarasota, Manatee, and DeSoto counties, just south of Tampa and north of Fort Myers.
Throughout it all, his ability to communicate clearly — developed years earlier in Evans’ classroom — has remained central to his legal career.
In 2006, he set sail to embark on a years-long journey across the Pacific, ultimately reaching Thailand. “Crossing the Pacific Ocean at 6 knots allowed me to study islands and countries from Panama all the way to Thailand,” he said.
He has lived abroad in Thailand and Malaysia for nearly 15 years, continuing his legal work abroad.
“My continuing legal education over the years includes listening to experienced appellate lawyers who explain the same things Jim Evans taught in 1963,” Gardner said. “Over the years, my appreciation for his insights has been valuable, and I wanted to say, ‘Thanks — job well done, Professor.’”
Now, the James F. Evans Global Center for Food and Agricultural Communications will carry that legacy forward, preparing future communicators to translate complex challenges into meaningful action for agriculture, food systems, and communities worldwide.
With the first $5 million fundraising milestone reached, the center is now moving from vision to reality with the launch of a national search for its inaugural director.
Additional support from alumni and friends will help extend the Evans Center’s impact. To learn more about making a gift to the Evans Center, contact Stacey Cole in the College of ACES Office of Advancement at 217-244-1676 or smcole@illinois.edu. Gifts can also be made online at evans.aces.illinois.edu/give.