In 1993, on the occasion of the dedication of the Belk Visual Art Center, the Pepper family launched the college’s sculpture collection with the gift of Auguste Rodin’s Jean d’Aire. Since then, Jim has given numerous paintings, prints, photographs and sculptures to the college, including another significant campus sculpture, Waves III, by Jaume Plensa. Jim retired as a managing director at Bessemer Trust Company and now divides his time between Miami and Fire Island. He has served Davidson College as president of the New York alumni chapter, New York regional vice chair of The Campaign for Davidson, Ne Ultra fundraiser, Annual Fund class agent, and member of the Visual Arts Center campaign committee and the Alumni Association Board. In 1985, he won the Alumni Service Award in recognition of his volunteer leadership and dedication to Davidson College. In 2015, he was honored with John W. Kuykendall Community Service Award for his activism in the fight against HIV/AIDS during the early days of the epidemic in New York City. Jim and his family also established the James G. Pepper Visual Arts Scholarship and the John K. Pepper Scholarship.

Over the last several years, John has been one of the most consistent and consequential donors of photography to Davidson’s collection. A resident of Los Angeles, John works as a portfolio manager with Lorien Energy Advisors. He currently serves alma mater as a member of the Art Collection Advisory Committee and the Board of Visitors and previously served on reunion planning and campaign fundraising committees. In addition to significant gifts of contemporary photography and other works to the collection, in 2019, John donated "Walking See Flower," a sculpture by James Surls and which is installed outside of Vail Commons.