Not many people can say that they were hit by a line drive in the leg by Darryl Strawberry of the New York Mets in an exhibition baseball game. That happened to President Jim when he was playing for the Army Black Knights. But that was not the high point of his collegiate career. Rather, it was in the Army/Navy game as a plebe when he got a save by picking a Navy player off at first base which led to Army winning the game.
Jim was born in Manhattan but grew up in Stony Point, New York. He has always had a love for baseball and that influenced his seeking an appointment to West Point. Jim wanted to play baseball at the Division 1 level and to get a good education. Since he was one of four children and his father was a New York City policeman and his mother a nurse, he didn’t want for his education to cost his parents a lot of money. He had been assured by West Point that if he was accepted, he would be on the baseball team.
During college, Jim’s concentration was in economics. It had always been an interest of his. Long term thinking led him to choose the Transportation Corp as logistics could be applicable to a life after the military. His first (and only) assignment was at Ft. Eustis. After five years, Jim left the Army and was hired by a Naval Academy graduate at Kidder Peabody & Company in Norfolk. He has been at the same company for 30 years although today it is known as UBS. His focus is on individual investors and mid-sized non-profits.
Jim met his wife, Clare, when her family moved from New York City to Stony Point, New York, in the fourth grade. They married a year after Jim graduated from West Point. They have two children. Bryan, an attorney in Charleston, has just gotten engaged. Jessica lives in Manhattan and works at the Betty Cunningham Art Gallery.
His love of baseball continued after his playing days at West Point. Jim knew that he didn’t have the skills to play major league baseball but he continues to be a (long-suffering) fan of the Mets. When Bryan was young, Jim coached youth baseball at the Warwick Little League.
Jim and Clare moved to Smithfield when the children were young. The town reminded them of the small town in which they grew up.
Jim and Clare enjoy jet skiing and have taken trips by water to a variety of places including Richmond, the Outer Banks, and around Hampton Roads. His valuable tip about jet skiing is always to fill up on gas when you pass a station. Jim also enjoys cooking with a specialty of cheesecakes and enjoys watching college football.
President Jim joined the Rotary Club of Norfolk in May 2014. During these challenging times, Jim is focused on making sure that club members remain engaged with each other and the community in a meaningful way. He is a Paul Harris Fellow +2.