TEREK
“James was always there for everyone.”
I first met James...
In the fall of 1997, James took a History of Jazz course. I had been asked by the instructor a semester prior to be an assistant and help out. Each week prior to the exam, I held a tutoring session in one of the conference rooms in the library. At the end of the first session, James walked up to me after everybody had packed-up their belongings and left. He introduced himself. And then he asked, “So what is the key to getting an “A” in the class?” I looked at him and thought to myself – I like the way that this lad thinks. James wanted to know the ingredients to success in the course. I felt like telling him exactly what he needed to know, but for some reason, I felt like he enjoyed a challenge so I refrained from sharing too much. James continued to attend these sessions. A couple of years later, we would become roommates for our senior year in college.
Memorable moments...
James was a motivating factor. He had the intensity that is needed to be successful in life, especially in the financial arena. James was also a master at time management. Having lived with him; I had a first-hand perspective at how he accomplished this with what seemed like very little effort. James was able to juggle his courses, his leadership role in the honor society and still found time to get to know each one of the lads in the circle on a personal level. James was always there for everyone. He was a mild-tempered individual with excellent listening skills. I recall on numerous occasions where we would stay up late at night talking about various topics; whether it was accounting, finance, friendships, religion, music, cuisines etc… James always had some profound input. His feedback has impacted my life in many aspects. James was a role model to many of his peers. He possessed the interpersonal skills that many strive to obtain. Yet, he did not display any sort of pride. He treated everyone on an equal level and never thought he was better than anyone else. James is the epitome of someone with a strong character.
I am not much of a superstitious individual, but there is one thing that I still find myself doing because of James even as recently as Thursday. I wear dark blue knee socks anytime I go to an interview. James introduced me to this brilliant idea in 2000. He told me that anytime he had a job interview, he wore long socks that came up to the knee. I will safely say that every single interview that I have had since that day, I have worn knee socks. And I don’t see myself deviating from the trend anytime in the near future.
Forever in our hearts...
James, lad - you left us prematurely! But I am not going to question our God’s intention. Despite the fact that I have had a serious time coping with His true intentions, I have to accept them. You know that I am a man of faith and I believe that God has orchestrated a plan for everyone. You have impacted my life and I will not hesitate to say this on behalf of the many individuals you encountered; you will continue to impact all of us for years to come! You will be remembered and you will be missed. I hope you have found peace with our Creator. May peace be with you!
"Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life." John 3:36
“You are worthy, our Lord and God,
To receive glory and honor and power,
For you created all things,
and by your will they were created
and have their being”
TGN
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I think of James when I listen to:
(click to listen)
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Three things you gotta know about James...
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James and I were once roommates. He would use all the plates and just leave them in the sink. His mindset was always, "If I'm not gonna to do my dishes, my roommate's gonna do 'em."
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I pretend that my car dashboard is a nice luxurious piano because of James.
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There was a period when James was involved in working out and started drinking protein shakes. As a result, he discharged some strong odors from his body.