James Robert Hargrove

James Robert Hargrove was a builder — of structures, of businesses, and of people. Born in Charleston in 1948, he grew up in a modest home where hard work and kindness were the family currency. His mother called him her “steady one,” a quality that would define him for the next seventy-five years.

After earning his engineering degree and serving two years in the Army Corps of Engineers, James returned to the Lowcountry and began a career that would span four decades. In 1985, he founded Hargrove & Associates, a structural engineering firm known throughout the region for integrity and craftsmanship. He mentored dozens of young engineers over the years, many of whom have gone on to lead firms of their own.

But ask anyone who knew him, and they will tell you about his woodworking. Every grandchild received a hand-crafted rocking chair when they were born — fourteen in all, each with their name carved into the back slat. The workshop behind the garage was his cathedral, a quiet place where sawdust and patience produced something that would last.

He is survived by his wife of fifty-two years, Eleanor; his daughter Sarah Lynn and her family; his son James Jr. and his family; and fourteen grandchildren who all own rocking chairs.