Wednesday, December 14, 2016
Jim was a work colleague, both during our careers at IBM, and after we both retired from IBM in 1992. I had a contract with NCR, and when I notified them I was leaving prior to the end of their project, I assured them I would find a replacement - guaranteed they would be very satisfied with my replacement's competence. I immediately called Jim, arranged an interview, and he was hired on the spot. I left the contract, and we stayed in contact with Jim and Katherine (and with Dennis !) for many years. I was impressed how Jim leveraged his technical and interpersonal abilities, such that he was given more and more responsible areas, made many contacts in the US,, greatly impressing all with whom he came in contact. When I recommended Jim to NCR, I had no doubt it was an excellent choice, and whenever I subsequently spoke to someone from the NCR team, they mentioned Jim and their appreciation for my bringing him on board. On a more personal side, Katherine and Jim were collectors of textiles, and, I seem to recall, were involved in the Textile Museum, in Toronto. Ronnee and I had travelled to the Americas and India, and had what we considered, a decent textile collection. When Jim showed us how they store their collection, we learned what it meant to care properly for these precious items. Whereas ours were stored in drawers or plastic cartons, theirs were stored in a carefully controlled and protected environment! It was a learning experience for us! Jim and Katherine enriched our lives, and we extend our sincere condolences to Katherine. Sam (and Ronnee)
