James Hedges III

James Hedges III RISING FAWN James R. "Jimmy" Hedges III died on Sunday, July 13, 2014, at his farm in Rising Fawn, in a drowning accident. Jimmy leaves behind his mother, Mary Katherine Fred Moore, of Lookout Mountain; three sons, James R. Hedges IV, of New York City, N.Y., Miller McGowan Hedges (Alexis), of Chattanooga, and Stephen McLain Hedges (Mary Allyn), of Oxford, Miss. He is also survived by two grandsons, Charles Evans Lawrence Hedges, of Naples, Fla., and Remington Malone Hedges, of New York City, N.Y., and siblings, Lee Hedges Pierce, Mertland McLain Hedges (Liz) and Ann Hedges Richardson (Mike) of Savannah, Ga. Jimmy was an avid artist and wood sculptor. He pioneered relationships with outsider, contemporary folk artists and craftsmen throughout the country and collected their work exhaustively. He became a leading authority on outsider art and championed its relevance in the contemporary art world as well as cultural environments around the country. He was a frequent contributor to scholarly journals and curatorial endeavors on the subject as well as a lifelong trustee of the Tonya Foundation, founded by W. Burkett Miller of Miller & Martin. The work of the Tonya Foundation contributed to the massive revitalization of downtown Chattanooga as well as charities and educational institutions around the country, including the University of Virginia and the University of the South at Sewanee, the Baylor School, the McCallie School and Girls Preparatory School. Jimmy was the grandson of James R. Hedges; and stepgrandson of Dorothy Brizzie Hedges, of Lookout Mountain; and grandson of Willie Davenport Miller, of Lookout Mountain and Walter Fred, of Middleburg, Va. The family will receive friends from 10-11 a.m. today in the Parrish Hall of Our Lady of the Mount Catholic Church, followed by memorial services at 11 a.m. with the Rev. Thomas D. Shuler officiating. In lieu of flowers, gifts of remembrances may be made to Our Lady of the Mount Catholic Church, or the Hunter Museum of Art. Arrangements are with Heritage Funeral Home, Battlefield Parkway.