James “Jim” McGrane, a man who spent his career as a friend and mentor to hundreds of East Boston children over the years, has died. McGrane dedicated his life to educating children in Eastie for nearly five decades through the Boston Public Schools and was instrumental in not only the success of the former East Boston Camps but also the neighborhood’s substance abuse programs like North Suffolk Mental Health and the Meridian House. Former East Boston Camp Director Debbie White, who met McGrane at the Camps in the mid-1970s said she was at a loss of words and shocked by his passing.