Sensational Seniors – April 2019

This edition features longtime Jacksonville city official, Jim Lewis, whose dedication to service is a model for us all. Jim was born in Wray, Colorado on May 8, 1945; his father was a career Naval officer and a decorated World War II, Korean War and Vietnam War veteran. Jim’s mother was a stay-at-home mom although, like many women during WW II, she worked in a manufacturing plant and drove a forklift.

Being born into a military family, Jim remembers living in many different places. “I think I attended eleven or twelve different schools before finishing high school in St. Louis. As a result, unlike many of my current friends, I was never in one place long enough to develop lasting childhood friendships. Still, this was not all bad, because I learned how to be flexible and adaptable regardless of where I was living.” While living in Denver, Colorado where his father was finishing his college degree, a younger brother joined the family.

Even with his rather hectic early education, Jim was a talented student and after high school enrolled at William and Mary College in Williamsburg, Virginia, the second oldest institution of higher education in the United States. He attended there from 1963-1967, graduating with an English degree. After a brief try at teaching English at a private secondary school and with the military draft looming, Jim, following his father’s footsteps, applied for and was accepted into the Navy Officer Candidate’s School. In March 1969 he reported for duty in Newport, Rhode Island. Intent on becoming a pilot, he started flight training school in Pensacola, Florida but then reality hit him. “Quite frankly, flying was just too scary for me, and I soon realized I would never be comfortable in the cockpit.” Opting out of flying, Jim boarded a landing ships’ tank (LST) in Japan that was headed to Vietnam to support the U.S. Army’s 9th infantry. Jim served as a damage control assistant and as an assistant engineer. He laughs when relating, “They took an English major and tried to make him an engineer.”

In July 1969 Jim’s ship was sent to Guam for decommissioning. Relaxing in the officer’s mess during his first week in Guam, Jim looked up as a tall blonde nurse named Gayle walked into the room. Little did Jim know at the time that this nurse would become his wife. Their romance was encouraged by the fact that the officer and nurse living quarters were together… or as Jim remembers, “Oh please don’t throw me in the briar patch.” Once his ship was decommissioned, officer Lewis’s next assignment was on the USS Shangri-La, a carrier out of Florida that was headed back to Vietnam. Highlights of this voyage were crossing the equator which is a big deal in a sailor’s life and circumnavigating the globe, ending up in the Bay of Tonkin. Jim spent all his working hours in the engine room where he did not see the light of day; this experience resulted in hearing loss for Jim.

When an opportunity came for an “early out” in July of 1970, Jim took it, thus ending his active duty. He was able to reconnect with Gayle in San Francisco during which time they were engaged before Gayle was sent back to Guam. After her tour of duty in Guam, Gayle was reassigned to a hospital in Bremerton, Washington and on March 20, 1971 Gayle and Jim were married. Utilizing the G.I. Bill, Jim entered the William and Mary Law School in the fall of 1971, graduating with a law degree in 1974. He started practicing law in a general practice firm in Norfolk, Virginia and then in 1976 took on a federally-funded criminal justice research project. These two lawyer experiences taught Jim two things: “I decided that law was not very glamorous and certainly was not my interest, and I found too many of my clients were shady characters and, unfortunately, too many fellow attorneys were not much better.”

Jim’s disenchantment with law, Gayle’s desire to return to her home roots in the Rogue Valley and a desire to have their young daughter, Claire, receive a quality education, caused them in 1980 to pull up stakes and move to Jacksonville where they have been ever since. Having left the practice of law behind, Jim focused on being a stay-at-home dad, but in addition, he and Gayle both remained active in the local Naval Reserves. For several years, officer Lewis oversaw the West Side School-based reserve unit and, when not doing that, continued to drill as a commander of various Southern Oregon units. Both he and Gayle retired from the Naval Reserve in 1994 as Captains.

Jim’s longtime service in the Jacksonville City government began in 1983 when he was appointed to the Jacksonville Budget Committee and the Historic Architectural Review Commission. This in turn led to him being appointed in 1986 to fill a vacancy on the Jacksonville City Council. Except for a brief hiatus from 2008-2010, he has served in some capacity on the City Council, including 14 years as Mayor from 1994-2008. When asked why he has been willing to dedicate almost 30 years to Jacksonville city government, he answered, “My wife, Gayle, has for years had a family member who served on the Council including her father, so it only seemed natural that I kept the tradition going. But even more important, I have really enjoyed serving on the Council, and Jacksonville is so fortunate to have a first-rate staff which makes my job as a Councilor pretty much fret-free and enjoyable.”

Serving on the City Council has led to involvement in regional governmental organizations. As such, Jim has been the chair of the Rogue Valley Council of Governments for 20 years, serves on the Rogue Valley Transportation Committee, is a member of the Regional 911 Board, serves on the Rogue Valley Sewer Services Board, the League of Oregon Cities organization and is the past President of the Oregon Mayor’s Association (2003). While many would see this regional committee work as tedious, this is not the case for Jim. “I really enjoy serving on regional committees where I have the opportunity to work with like-minded people.”

Jim’s wife, Gayle, retired six years ago after serving for many years as a labor and delivery nurse for Asante. In her retirement she serves on the CERT Team, is a member of the Southern Oregon Historical Society, enjoys being a docent at the Beekman House and is an avid ham radio operator. Jim laughs when relating, “Gayle does the volunteer work for the family and I go to meetings.” When Gayle is not volunteering and Jim is not attending meetings, they enjoy periodic travel out of the Rogue Valley, a highlight being a family cruise to Hawaii. As an interesting side note, in addition to Gayle there are two other Guam naval nurses who live in Jacksonville. They were both in the Lewis wedding, and they enjoy a dinner together most every week.

Jim Lewis’s commitment to Jacksonville is exemplary but for him it is an easy commitment to make. “In all my travels I have not found a more attractive town anywhere. I see amazing things in Jacksonville almost daily that I have not seen before. I believe the historic face of Jacksonville is what holds us together and where else are you going to find a wonder like California Street?” He loves the fact that Jacksonville residents tend to turn out to vote, and he is especially impressed with the volunteer spirit that permeates our village. Jim Lewis lives and models this volunteer spirit.