The Loss of A Hall of Famer

 On Tuesday, June 18, 2024, Willie Mays, a member of baseball's hall of fame passed away (https://www.mlb.com/news/hall-of-famer-willie-mays-passes-away-at-93).  He is considered one of the best baseball players of all time.

One day previously, on June 17, 2024, another member of a hall of fame, and a brother of one of our class members, also passed away.  Jim Wright, brother of our classmate Georgia, "passed away surrounded by family."  (https://www.heritagesfsd.com/obituary/jimmie-wright)

As the obituary indicates, Jim had a love for music.  His future wife Nancy Engstrom was the daughter of Erling Engstrom (https://www.rudesfuneralhome.com/obituary/erling-engstrom), the instrumental music instructor in the Brookings Junior High School, which later became the Brookings Middle School when we moved into the "new" high school.  During his high school days, Jim was in the select choir all three years. Additionally, he was involved in the monogram club for two years, having earned letters in football his junior and senior years.  He was also in student council his junior year, and participated in track and field and wrestling.  Jim was definitely a well-rounded student. 

It's interesting that he married Nancy on June 6, 1981.  June 6, 1944, was D-Day:  "On June 6, 1944, nearly 160,000 Allied troops landed along a 50-mile stretch of heavily-fortified French coastline, to fight Nazi Germany on the beaches of Normandy, France. More than 5,000 Ships and 13,000 aircraft supported the D-Day invasion, and by day's end, the Allies gained a foot-hold in Continental Europe."  Was that day chosen to honor Jim's service in the army and the national guard?

Ten years ago, Jim and the band Ride were inducted into the South Dakota Rock and Roll Music Association (https://www.southdakotarockandrollmusicassociation.com/inductee?id=85#Ride).  Most people refer it to the South Dakota Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, but because of copyright laws, "Hall of Fame" refers to that museum in Cleveland (https://rockhall.com/).

Can you identify Jim in this colorful photograph?  

This appears to be an earlier version of the band.

Two years later, Jim was again honored as a member of "Military Pickle."  Some of us were privileged to be in attendance for their induction.  (https://www.southdakotarockandrollmusicassociation.com/inductee?id=191#Military-Pickle)

I seem to recall that at the festivities that night, Jim indicated that one of his early bands (perhaps even his first band) was called "The Outsiders."  However, around that time, a popular song called "Time Won't Let Me" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CS1sYR7xky8;  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Time_Won%27t_Let_Me) was soaring up the charts.  This band was named "The Outsiders."  I don't know if  Jim changed the band's name because he was threatened with a lawsuit or if he wisely wanted to avoid one. 

The Brookings Register article below highlights Military Pickle's selection.

Were they the house band at Horatio's?

Were they taking a break from their military duties?

Was it prom night somewhere?

Jim and Dave Adamson meeting the crowd before their induction.  Dave's sister Glenda was also in our class.   

Jim is on the left, while on the right is John Behrend, Jim's classmate.  Who is the man in the middle?

Bob Adams is getting reacquainted with the band, as he was also involved with both instrumental and vocal music when they were all in high school.  

Below, Bob seems to be having an intense conversation with classmate Rob Dimit. Rob's younger brother Beatty (Ed) was also in our class.  Thus, three of our classmates had brothers in this renowned band.  

Jim was a wonderful person.  It was just a year ago that his father-in-law passed away.  Some of us were able to visit a little with Jim on that sad day. 

As we come to grips with reality, we realize that we are no longer the active and energetic teenagers we were back in the 1960's.  Unfortunately, death will conquer all of us.  While we are still alive, let us follow Jim's example and make the most of our lives. 

I expect to pass through this world but once;

any good thing therefore that I can do, or any

kindness that I can show to any fellow-creature,

let me do it now; let me not defer or neglect it,

for I shall not pass this way again.    Stephen Grellet

 

“I am only one, but I am one. I cannot do everything, but I can do something. And because I cannot do everything, I will not refuse to do the something that I can do.”

― Edward Everett Hale 

Our prayers and condolences go out to Georgia at this difficult time.