My Best Man

August 1986 Wedding, Jimmy, my best man

New York Subway 1987, Greg Krissy & Jimmy

Jimmy and Julie's sister Jenny

"Mr. Microphone"

Bachelor Party Limo

Heights boys bachelor party Larry, Van, Chap, Jeff, Greg, Tom & Jimmy

Jimmy, Krissy & Tommy

When I learned of Jimmy's passing I was out of the country with some buddies, I was at a loss for words on how to describe Jimmy to my friends who hadn't had the privelege of meeting him, a story my son's football coach told at his T-G athletic banquet this fall immediately came to mind. The coach talked about the Monks at St. John's University who's job it was to teach everyone they came into contact with that every breath is a gift, to be enjoyed and not taken for granted, as if it was your last. I know some of Jimmy's high school and college buddies may find it a bit of a stretch to compare Jimmy to a Monk, but the point I'm was making is that Jimmy seemed to, for as long as I had known him to understand this secret. Jimmy always found joy in each breath and you couldn't help too either when you where around him. Always positive, fun and complimentary who couldn't find joy being in his presence.

I first met Jimmy in the fall of 1978 we were both fresh out of high school attending a junior college and trying to extend our basketball careers, we hit it off right away. I just wanted to play college ball but Jimmy always the dreamer thought of it as just a stepping stone to the NBA. We both soon realized that the reason we ended up in a junior college is because we didn't have a future in basketball. We decided to transfer the following year to St. Cloud State, Jimmy roomed with Tommy Pesek his high school buddy and I ended up on the same floor as Jimmy in Shoemaker hall.

It was in Shoemaker hall that I realized Jimmy's knack for business. Like most dorms in the 70's parties were the norm and we threw some great ones, Tommy provided the tunes and Jimmy the beer. Jimmy would purchase a couple of 16 gallon kegs of beer for the party and sell cups for $5 a head, but to improve his margins he would purchase one good keg of beer and then a second keg called Keggelbrau (taste like swamp water) at less than half the price, he reasoned that by the time we got the the second keg no one would notice or care and he was right and thus he always managed turned a profit at these parties. For Jimmy making money always seemed to come easy, what he really struggled with was his other two careers, basketball star and rock and roll star, they never quite came as natural.

Jimmy and I loved to play pickup basketball at an old gym on campus called Eastman Hall although he always called it Clint Eastwood Hall, we played hoops their for hours several times a week. There was a basket mounted about a foot off the wall at one end of the gym and Jimmy realized that with a running start he could push off the wall with one foot and elevate himself high enough to dunk the ball, I can still hear the trash talking that came out of his mouth after each dunk, this maybe as close to basketball stardom as he got.

One of the greatest gifts Jimmy ever gave me was introducing me to and ingratiating me in with his Heights buddy's, who are still my friends today. I had a gal that worked for me a few years ago that graduated from Heights in the early eighty's and when I mentioned to her some of the guys I knew from Heights, Jimmy, Tommy, Van, Chap, Deano, Larry, Ricky, Joe, Mark, Tim, to name a few, she said "wow" that's the class of "78", she went on to explain that to this day they still consider that the greatest and most successful group of guys to ever graduate from Heights and Jimmy was certainly at the top of that list, it was an honor to hang with these guys.

In 1986 I got married and asked Jimmy to be the best man in my wedding. I've added above some wedding and bachelor party photo's. I particularily like the one with Jimmy in front of the microphone, as you maybe are already aware that this was one of his favorite places to be, "Mr. Microphone" as he enjoyed being called, and he made sure everyone at the wedding was entertained and had a great time. Jimmy by this time was already married to the beautiful Kris and we both went on to raise three great kids.

I've never been a huge believer that when our time is up it's up or that God calls us to be with him for a reason, but I'm becoming and believer and if God did have a purpose for Jimmy I'm sure it's to help spread the secret that the monks have been teaching for centuries and Jimmy already knew and that is each breath is a gift to be enjoyed and not taken for granted. I love you Jimmy and will miss you dearly but take comfort in the fact the someday we will see each other again.

Love, Greg, Julie, Paige, Nick & Holly