James Provence was born in San Francisco in 1947. As a young man, he took an interest in repairing and building electronics. He received his first commercial radio operator's license at an early age, and used it to help Civil Air Patrol with radio communications.
That early aptitude for engineering and electronics would manifest in his first job, at the first FM station in California to broadcast in stereo. In 1966, James helped to fill the airwaves with contemporary music. In 1969, he left radio broadcasting for television. He was part of a team at Hughes Sports Network, a predecessor to ESPN. His work helped away teams broadcast their games from California to their hometown, where their fans could catch everything from the comfort of their living room.
In 1972, Provence shifted into the motion picture industry. There, his engineering skills were put to the test maintaining the cameras and lens equipment around San Francisco State University. He eventually became a representative for these companies, travelling as an authorized repairman to make sure all equipment ran in great working roder.
Then, in 1979, Provence answered the vocational call to become a servant of Christ. He had always been a lifelong churchgoer, but he felt he had to do more for his community. He earned his Bachelor Degree in Sacred Theology, and served parishes throughout the San Francisco Bay Area. He also taught parish bible study for nearly 40 years until his retirement from the Church.
Today, Provence resides in Vacaville where his interests include furniture making and reading. An avid follower of history, Provence has also become docent of the California State Railroad Museum in Sacramento.