James Edmund Carson, Jr.

James Edmund Carson, Jr. of Atlanta, age 63, suddenly passed away on July 17, 2021.

Jim was born on June 4, 1958 in Atlanta to James Edmund Carson, Sr. and Gay Barr Carson. He loved the South and made Atlanta his home for his entire life. As a young boy, his lifelong love of fishing was encouraged by his “Uncle Charlie” Elliott, former editor of Outdoor Life and author of several books on hunting, fishing and gaming. He attended W.D. Thompson Elementary School where he made many lifelong friendships. He graduated from Briarcliff High School in 1976.

Jim earned his Master of Architecture from the Georgia Institute of Technology in 1983 and was a proud Yellow Jacket. He began his career at Porter Associates, a small architectural firm that specialized in residential homes and small commercial projects. The firm received several design awards and had a reputation for its designs.

In 1989, Jim joined Nichols Carter Grant Architects as a Project Designer, ultimately becoming the President of NCG Architects in 2010. His career as a resort and recreational architect transformed many projects throughout the southeast and internationally including Bermuda, Spain, France, and the UAE. His work won multiple ARDY Awards (American Resort Development Association) for clients such as Marriott, Ritz-Carlton, Gold Key, Jumeriah, and Greenwood Development.

He was known to many of the architects he worked with as a mentor who shared his projects with similar trust and enthusiasm as the clients had in him. Jim contributed to the profession by serving on committees, writing articles, and providing Pro Bono services to Egleston Children’s Hospital Festival of Trees for 12 years.

He started his own company, J. Carson Architects in 2013 and was designing projects up until his death.

In 1990, he married Debra Nelson, an interior designer, of Lake Charles, Louisiana. They shared many happy years together over the course of their 22 year marriage and he was a devoted father to their daughter, Katharine Margaret, who graduated with a B.S. in Accounting from Louisiana State University in 2016.

Outside of work and family, Jim had many interests. He enjoyed composing music, and in his younger years was an avid coin and stamp collector. He loved golfing and was a dedicated fisherman, never missing an opportunity to cast his rod and enjoy the stillness and beauty of nature.

He also wrote poetry and several of his works were published in The Dead Mule School of Southern Literature, Flutter Poetry Journal, the Foliate Oak Online Literature Magazine, Hungry River, Ink Sweat & Tears and Muscadine Lines: A Southern Journal among others.

Jim was preceded in death by his parents. He is survived by his daughter, Katharine, in Lafayette, LA, his sister, Laura, in Denver, CO and his former spouse, Debra Nelson Carson, in Smithville, Texas.

A celebration of his life was held at Oak Grove United Methodist Church, 1722 Oak Grove Road, Decatur, GA 30033 at 11:00 AM on Saturday, July 24. Memorial gifts may be made to The Charlie Elliott Wildlife Center, 543 Elliott Trail, Mansfield, GA 30055, attn: Lisa Boone. Please note “In Memory of James Edmund Carson, Jr.” on your gift.