James G. Busick, Jr. Obituary

James G. Busick, Jr. passed away on May 10, 2023, in Charleston, SC after a long illness.

Jim was born March 31, 1943, in Elmira, NY, the son of former Navy Lieutenant Commander James G. Busick, Sr. and Emma Tingle Busick. After the close of WWII, the young family settled in Jim Sr.'s hometown of Cambridge, MD where Jim Sr. had a long and distinguished education career.

Young Jimmy spent his Cambridge youth as a multi-sport athlete in tennis, baseball, and basketball. He excelled in tennis with help from his former track and tennis star father and local coaches. At 14, Jim played his first sanctioned, regional tennis tournament in Clifton Park, Baltimore, and lost to the legendary Arthur Ashe (Richmond, VA) in the semi-finals. The following year he lost the same tournament to Arthur Ashe in the finals. Later, Jim went on to play the USTA junior nationals in Kalamazoo, MO as the #5 seed.

Jim attended the University of Maryland on a tennis scholarship, played number one at Maryland for four years, and lead the Maryland tennis team to an ACC championship victory in 1964. Upon graduation, he began a long teaching and coaching career that culminated in 30 years spent as a head tennis coach for Gilman School, Baltimore, Maryland. Upon his 2011 Gilman retirement, Jim held many school records: their longest-tenured tennis head coach, their all-time winningest tennis head coach, and their second-winningest head coach in any sport . His Gilman career record was 284-60-3 with a total of 10 MIAA A conference championships. He was selected high school Coach of the Year in 2000 by The Baltimore Sun and was inducted into the Athletics Hall of Fame for Cambridge-South Dorchester High School in 2023.

A fierce competitor, yet a kind and gentle man, Jim is survived by his wife of 36 years, Mary Lee Busick, his daughter, Stephanie Jamison Busick (Wesley Hinkle), step-daughter, Kate McAllister Walker (Chad), grandson, Hayden Walker, and brother, William T. Busick (Robin). He was preceded in death by his parents, James G. Busick, Sr., and Emma Tingle Busick. Burial will be at Old Trinity Church and Cemetery, Church Creek, Maryland.