I knew Jimmy since we were in the 6th grade at Normal Park. He was one of the sweetest and funniest boys I had ever known. I cared for Jimmy like a brother and miss him still to this day.
Jimmy asked me to the home comming dance my first year at city. And I was so happy about that because he was so cute. I thought it was just great going in his little red sports car. I had such a great time with him. I have such great memories of him. I have missed him all these years. He was a really great person.
Jimmy and I became good friends during my junior year at City. We got in the habit of running out to the lake whenever possible and just hanging out. Usually, we were supposed to be doing something else, but there was just something great and wonderful about hanging around with Jimmy and laughing like crazy. I had moved to Oklahoma when I heard about his death and remember crying for days.
Jimmy, Rick Rhodes and I were running around at the lake one night in January 1970. We had been visiting friends all day and had been partying and decided to sleep in the back of Jimmy's Volkswagen. It's funny how things turn out. Jimmy was killed in that car in April and Rick was killed that summer on a hayride and I slept between them on that cold January night in 1970. Doug Dailey class of 1970
Jimmy was a great guy. I played touch football with him at his brother's (ED) fiances home on Lindcrest Circle in Stuart Heights. I rode in that tan volkswagon and saw Jimmy on Saturday, March 7, 1970, about 5 hours before the accident. Last year I was at his mother's home and saw his 1960 blue sports car that has never been touched in 39 years. I hope his brothers will someday restore and enjoy that car.
I am Greg DeMars, Jimmys younger brother. While not a graduate of City, I wanted to be able to stay in contact with his friends and share memories of one great brother.
Jimmy and I were very close. It STILL seems like yesterday- I adored and looked up to him. He spent many hours talking of his friends at CHS and we have as a family always cherished those memories.
Jimmy's untimely death still impacts our families today. My children have lived with my fear EVERYTIME they were out late at night I will NEVER be able to let that fear go.
Please take time to continue to share your memories- I have MANY but theres always room for more!!
Jimmy and I both used to get to school early because our parents' dropped us off. We would spend many morinings in the commons waiting for school to start. He was funny and charming and I was shocked to hear of his death. I worked with his Dad at the post office and I remember him telling me that not a day passed that he didn't think of Jimmy and relive that horrible event. Jimmy will always be a special memory for me. He was loved by everyone.
I have hesitated posting about Jimmy until now. I'm not sure why, but I feel it's OK to finally put my memories to paper. I knew Jimmy from 7th grade on. We were both Class of 1970 were in band together and had several classes together throughout the years, including homeroom in junior high.
I have two favorite memories of Jimmy I'd like to share. The first was pre-Cool Dude Period, as I like to put it. Oh, he was still just as cute in 7th grade as he would be in high school, but he was a bit more shy. I had what we referred to in the Sixties as a boy/girl party at my house while we were in 7th grade and I remember that Jan Rucker and Benjie Seymour were there along with several other friends. I had records playing on the record player out on the carport, but no one was really dancing yet. We were all in our little groups talking and laughing when finally, a car pulled up at the end of the driveway and out stepped Jimmy DeMars. We were all happy to see him and I walked about halfway out the driveway to meet him, but he wouldn't come into the yard. Whoever was driving dropped him off and drove away. I asked Jimmy if he was going to join us, but he just said, "Not yet." He walked to the opposite side of the road and literally squatted down in the ditch until he felt comfortable enough, I guess, to join the party. As a kid I couldn't figure out what was going on,. In hingsight and knowing how popular Jimmy became with EVERYone, it's rather humorous that in 1967/68 he was so shy that he wouldn't join a little party until he'd gathered up the courage from afar.
My other favorite memory of Jimmy was from typing class. The typing room was set up with tables instead of desks and the typewriters were just a few feet apart so that we were sitting right next to each other. The better to fit more students into the classroom, I'm sure. Jimmy sat in the first seat of one of these long tables and my seat was to his immediate right. Remember that these were student typewriters with no letters on the keyboards and a manual return. Being in such close proximity and with Jimmy's personality, we found ourselves constantly competing with each other in "timed typings." Jimmy and I were the two fastest typists in that class, and I credit that to our competitiveness. During these timed tests Jimmy would not only try to type faster than me, but if he suspected that I was getting ahead of him he would reach up and flip the return arm on my typewriter completely throwing me off and messing up my test! Even then I couldn't help but laugh at him and thankfully, so did the teacher. I swear I'd never forget her name, but sadly I have. When I left City and continued on to college, I earned extra money by typing reports, English papers, and even dissertations. Starting my career I was a secretary for years and this was all was based on my typing ability. Anytime I received compliment regarding my typing, I always without fail flashed back on my class with Jimmy and our never-ending friendly competitions. I guess you can say that Jimmy's unspoken challenge made me a better typist and set me up with what was back then a desirable skill that kept me in a job for decades.
I've never, ever forgotten you, Jimmy, or the way I felt when the horrible news of your passing came over the intercom at City. It was my first exposure to the loss of someone close and being that we were young and invincible in our own minds, it was completely unfathomable that you were gone and we would never see your beautiful smile again. It was absolutely the worst day of my young life. You were the one who was going on to great, wonderful, exciting things and would come back to reunions and make everyone laugh and want to be around you. I even imagined you walking across the room and asking me if I was up for one more timed typing and then we'd both break out laughing. For some people that we lose, at some point we also lose the ability to recall their features. Not so with you. To this day, I recall very clearly your face, your stature and best of all your laugh. That's how I remember you best - your laugh - and I think you for that.
So in closing, I say thanks, Jimmy, for the laughs, the contests and the wonderful happy memories. I will always remember you with fondness and credit you with not just my ability to work a keyboard, but with the ability to laugh at myself and completely enjoy every single day to the fullest. Love... Always.
Thanks Sharon for posting your story. I've looked at this web page many times and just seemed to never get the words together. Sometimes it just takes some prodding.
Jim and I were good friends for a long time. I think of him and the memories still come flooding back. Good times at Pinky's Point, sanding and painting that blue Austin Healey sports car, double dating with Michelle and him, trips / events with the band, a love of music, football games, swimming at the lake, and on and on. His passing was a difficult time.
Beth and I have been married for 35 years now. We were a blind date because Jim's car wasn't running and he wanted to take Michelle somewhere so I agreed to go along with them and Michelle's friend. Funny how things turn out. There are other friends from that time that have remained lifelong contacts even as life took me away from Tennessee. He would have been no different as friends and family meant so much to him.
I'm still into cars to this day and even drive a sports car as my Facebook friends suffer through the pictures. I think about those days sometimes as I get in it. Such bitter sweet memories. Good friends we have had, good friends we've lost along the way. Thanks Jim for being a part of our lives.
Beth Williams (1970)
I knew Jimmy since we were in the 6th grade at Normal Park. He was one of the sweetest and funniest boys I had ever known. I cared for Jimmy like a brother and miss him still to this day.Priscilla Mitts (Dietterich) (1971)
Jimmy asked me to the home comming dance my first year at city. And I was so happy about that because he was so cute. I thought it was just great going in his little red sports car. I had such a great time with him. I have such great memories of him. I have missed him all these years. He was a really great person.Nancy Lemon (1970)
Jimmy and I became good friends during my junior year at City. We got in the habit of running out to the lake whenever possible and just hanging out. Usually, we were supposed to be doing something else, but there was just something great and wonderful about hanging around with Jimmy and laughing like crazy. I had moved to Oklahoma when I heard about his death and remember crying for days.Doug Dailey (1970)
Jimmy, Rick Rhodes and I were running around at the lake one night in January 1970. We had been visiting friends all day and had been partying and decided to sleep in the back of Jimmy's Volkswagen.It's funny how things turn out. Jimmy was killed in that car in April and Rick was killed that summer on a hayride and I slept between them on that cold January night in 1970.
Doug Dailey
class of 1970
Jim Mullenix (1972)
Jimmy was a great guy. I played touch football with him at his brother's (ED) fiances home on Lindcrest Circle in Stuart Heights. I rode in that tan volkswagon and saw Jimmy on Saturday, March 7, 1970, about 5 hours before the accident. Last year I was at his mother's home and saw his 1960 blue sports car that has never been touched in 39 years. I hope his brothers will someday restore and enjoy that car.Greg DeMars (1970)
I am Greg DeMars, Jimmys younger brother. While not a graduate of City, I wanted to be able to stay in contact with his friends and share memories of one great brother.
Jimmy and I were very close. It STILL seems like yesterday- I adored and looked up to him. He spent many hours talking of his friends at CHS and we have as a family always cherished those memories.
Jimmy's untimely death still impacts our families today. My children have lived with my fear EVERYTIME they were out late at night I will NEVER be able to let that fear go.
Please take time to continue to share your memories- I have MANY but theres always room for more!!
Pamela Vandergriff (Vandergriff) (1969)
Jimmy and I both used to get to school early because our parents' dropped us off. We would spend many morinings in the commons waiting for school to start. He was funny and charming and I was shocked to hear of his death. I worked with his Dad at the post office and I remember him telling me that not a day passed that he didn't think of Jimmy and relive that horrible event. Jimmy will always be a special memory for me. He was loved by everyone.
Sharon Johnson (Hartman) (1970)
I have hesitated posting about Jimmy until now. I'm not sure why, but I feel it's OK to finally put my memories to paper. I knew Jimmy from 7th grade on. We were both Class of 1970 were in band together and had several classes together throughout the years, including homeroom in junior high.
I have two favorite memories of Jimmy I'd like to share. The first was pre-Cool Dude Period, as I like to put it. Oh, he was still just as cute in 7th grade as he would be in high school, but he was a bit more shy. I had what we referred to in the Sixties as a boy/girl party at my house while we were in 7th grade and I remember that Jan Rucker and Benjie Seymour were there along with several other friends. I had records playing on the record player out on the carport, but no one was really dancing yet. We were all in our little groups talking and laughing when finally, a car pulled up at the end of the driveway and out stepped Jimmy DeMars. We were all happy to see him and I walked about halfway out the driveway to meet him, but he wouldn't come into the yard. Whoever was driving dropped him off and drove away. I asked Jimmy if he was going to join us, but he just said, "Not yet." He walked to the opposite side of the road and literally squatted down in the ditch until he felt comfortable enough, I guess, to join the party. As a kid I couldn't figure out what was going on,. In hingsight and knowing how popular Jimmy became with EVERYone, it's rather humorous that in 1967/68 he was so shy that he wouldn't join a little party until he'd gathered up the courage from afar.
My other favorite memory of Jimmy was from typing class. The typing room was set up with tables instead of desks and the typewriters were just a few feet apart so that we were sitting right next to each other. The better to fit more students into the classroom, I'm sure. Jimmy sat in the first seat of one of these long tables and my seat was to his immediate right. Remember that these were student typewriters with no letters on the keyboards and a manual return. Being in such close proximity and with Jimmy's personality, we found ourselves constantly competing with each other in "timed typings." Jimmy and I were the two fastest typists in that class, and I credit that to our competitiveness. During these timed tests Jimmy would not only try to type faster than me, but if he suspected that I was getting ahead of him he would reach up and flip the return arm on my typewriter completely throwing me off and messing up my test! Even then I couldn't help but laugh at him and thankfully, so did the teacher. I swear I'd never forget her name, but sadly I have. When I left City and continued on to college, I earned extra money by typing reports, English papers, and even dissertations. Starting my career I was a secretary for years and this was all was based on my typing ability. Anytime I received compliment regarding my typing, I always without fail flashed back on my class with Jimmy and our never-ending friendly competitions. I guess you can say that Jimmy's unspoken challenge made me a better typist and set me up with what was back then a desirable skill that kept me in a job for decades.
I've never, ever forgotten you, Jimmy, or the way I felt when the horrible news of your passing came over the intercom at City. It was my first exposure to the loss of someone close and being that we were young and invincible in our own minds, it was completely unfathomable that you were gone and we would never see your beautiful smile again. It was absolutely the worst day of my young life. You were the one who was going on to great, wonderful, exciting things and would come back to reunions and make everyone laugh and want to be around you. I even imagined you walking across the room and asking me if I was up for one more timed typing and then we'd both break out laughing. For some people that we lose, at some point we also lose the ability to recall their features. Not so with you. To this day, I recall very clearly your face, your stature and best of all your laugh. That's how I remember you best - your laugh - and I think you for that.
So in closing, I say thanks, Jimmy, for the laughs, the contests and the wonderful happy memories. I will always remember you with fondness and credit you with not just my ability to work a keyboard, but with the ability to laugh at myself and completely enjoy every single day to the fullest. Love... Always.
David Fox (1970)
Thanks Sharon for posting your story. I've looked at this web page many times and just seemed to never get the words together. Sometimes it just takes some prodding.
Jim and I were good friends for a long time. I think of him and the memories still come flooding back. Good times at Pinky's Point, sanding and painting that blue Austin Healey sports car, double dating with Michelle and him, trips / events with the band, a love of music, football games, swimming at the lake, and on and on. His passing was a difficult time.
Beth and I have been married for 35 years now. We were a blind date because Jim's car wasn't running and he wanted to take Michelle somewhere so I agreed to go along with them and Michelle's friend. Funny how things turn out. There are other friends from that time that have remained lifelong contacts even as life took me away from Tennessee. He would have been no different as friends and family meant so much to him.
I'm still into cars to this day and even drive a sports car as my Facebook friends suffer through the pictures. I think about those days sometimes as I get in it. Such bitter sweet memories. Good friends we have had, good friends we've lost along the way. Thanks Jim for being a part of our lives.