Jim always reminded me of the character "T. J." in the comic strip "Luann." Full of mischief, a bit of a rascal, but always with good intentions. It was Jim's church group that hired my dance band for our debut gig at the long gone Wesley House in the U District. We knew maybe ten songs at the time, but he kept telling us how "smooth" we were and how much everyone enjoyed our music. What a great diplomat - or con artist. On one New Year's Eve, Jim, Joe Wesson and Del Ball all camped out on the floor of my basement bedroom. No complaints, we four bad boys had a terrific time staying up most of the night reading Playboy magazines and swigging coke. Pretty reckless behavior! Most especially, Jim was a loyal friend and I never heard him say a nasty word about anyone.