October 2002

In Memoriam James L. Craig, Jr., CPA, 1937–2002

By Douglas R. Carmichael

Jim Craig was the managing editor and editor-in-chief of The CPA Journal from 1989 to 2000. During that time, he also made a major contribution to the NYSSCPA’s fledgling peer review process. In all of his activities on behalf of the Society and its membership, he brought a fierce dedication to quality.

He was concerned with elevating the quality of auditing practice, and brought that concern to a successful peer review process. He was also very concerned with the making The CPA Journal a leading publication, where quality would help CPAs to achieve excellence in their profession.

Jim brought to his work at the Society an extensive technical background in accounting and auditing attained during a career at KPMG LLP, where he was a partner. He honed his leadership and administrative skills as partner-in-charge of the Syracuse office of KPMG Main Hurdman for approximately six years. However, Jim did not assume that his strong technical and management backgrounds would automatically make him a good editor of a technical journal. He enrolled in courses, read and studied the subject, and spent substantial time contemplating what had to be done to make The CPA Journal a publication that CPAs would want and need to read. His success in making The CPA Journal a national publication of interest to all CPAs is attributable to his dedication to quality. In recognition of his distinguished career, last year the American Accounting Association Northeast Region inducted Jim into its Hall of Fame.

Jim was also a selfless and inspiring human being. He was devoted to his family and loved music. Despite a heavy workload at the Society, he made time to take piano lessons at a point in life when most people would have long abandoned learning a new craft.

Jim Craig deserves to be recognized as an outstanding person who made a substantial contribution to the NYSSCPA, its membership, and the accounting profession, in what turned out to be much too short a time.

Douglas R. Carmichael, PhD, CFE, CPA, a member of The CPA Journal editorial board, is the Wollman Distinguished Professor of Accountancy at the Stan Ross Department of Accountancy of the Zicklin School of Business at Bernard M. Baruch College, where he is also founding director of the Baruch Center for Integrity in Financial Reporting. He, Jim Craig, and Dan M. Guy won The CPA Journal’s Max Block Distinguished Article Award for 2000.
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