James D. Fife grew up in Gridley, CA, in the Sacrament Valley.  He has a B.A. and an M.A. from BYU and a Ph.D. in romance languages from Syracuse University.  He has taught at SU and at the University of Oklahoma, where he received several awards for excellence in teaching.  He directed the OU Summer Program in France for many years before retiring..  He and his wife, Irene, have seven children, and currently live in American Fork, Uah.