CLASSMATE. HUNTING BUDDY. FRIEND.
Jim and I met in the fall of 1965 in Ann Arbor, Michigan — classmates in the University of Michigan Graduate Business School’s Program in Hospital Administration. There were 15 men in the program — most had worked as healthcare CEO’ or MD’s for years — and 5 of us were just out of college. The “youngsters” became close — and commonly chose to work as a team when group projects were assigned. Jim was a hard-working student — with good grades and a really good way about him. It was clear from the start that he would make a fine executive and an excellent leader.
The “youngsters” eventually learned that we had all hunted in the past — and contrived a plan to drive to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan in pursuit of whitetail deer. We cut a day or two of class — tacked the time onto a weekend — and headed north in my ‘58 Mercury — lovingly nicknamed “Mildred”. Long story short — terrible freezing rain — couldn’t get a campfire going — slept in the car because it was the only dry space available — and nobody even saw a deer in three long days of hard hunting.
But we had fun! Enjoyed one another’s company outdoors even more than in the classroom. And committed to do it again the next year. Then the next. And the next. And ultimately we joined together for 25 years to hunt whitetail in Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, Maryland, West Virginia and Illinois. Of course some nice deer were taken over the years — but each of us would cite the camaraderie as the most important and enjoyable aspect. Things tapered off after 25 years. Jim continued to do a lot of pheasant hunting in South Dakota with his Iowa friends. Doug Peters and I took to hunting elk and other big game. Larry Swearingen continued chasing whitetail in southern Illinois and Missouri. Cliff Gaus drifted away from hunting entirely.
I guess our main pursuit for a lot of years was our careers — each of us as CEO’s of large, complex, important healthcare organizations. But of course we stayed in touch.
Then — around five years ago — all of us retired except Clif — we determined to resurrect hunting together. With Jim’s leadership, we chose to hunt pheasant in Pierre, South Dakota — a place he was intimately familiar with — and accommodations and hunting which welcomed us warmly. Great food! Great dogs and guides! Great hunting! But — most important — great REUNION of the U of M Class of ‘67 Classmates! We returned each fall for the next four years.
We had reservations and plans to return again in November 2024. Despite his health challenges, Jim was to be with us. A tremendous blow to lose him April 21. Of course a couple of us will “carry on” — in no small part in his memory.
We will recall his love of hunting — particularly pheasant — of good hunting dogs — particularly German shorthairs. We will recall what a good shot he was — and what an exceptionally quick shooter he was. We will recall his great BIGG smile — his sense of humor— his always upbeat attitude — his fierce competitiveness — his intelligence — his remarkable career accomplishments. And his love for Jean, Jennifer, Kathy, Karen, his sons-in-law Paul and Stephen. And yes — his love for us. We will miss you greatly, AJames!
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