James Madden Waldron was born in Northampton, Massachusetts in 1913 and died suddenly in 1963. Waldron attended St. Michael School from first grade through high school where his exceptional artistic skills earned him a full scholarship to study Art in Paris, France. However with WW11 looming in Europe, his studies took him to Philadelphia and Mexico. Before finishing Art School, Waldron enlisted, or was drafted in the air force and was stationed in the Pacific during WWII. Much of his known works during his time in the military are of numerous watercolors of military life and landscape of the Pacific Islands. Returning from the war Waldron supported himself through his mural painting and commissioned portraits in the Northampton area.