Tom Diaz, about Jimmy:
A friend of my mine just died, so I wanted to say goodbye by writing about
him. I first met Jimmy Hatcher at the Rose Parade in Pasadena, California,
on New Year’s Day in 1959. It was at the parade that he fell in love
at first sight with my sister. I have known him and his family for
40 years, and I thought it would be fitting to remember him in this way.
This is what I have written about him. It is a little rough, so I
may polish it up to be more fitting for the occasion.
+
Some people you meet are truly unique.
They are molded from a form or pattern, and then the form is broken never
to be used again. From an early age, Jimmy Hatcher’s world revolved
around the nearby woods in Cynthiana, Kentucky, and its inhabitants.
He knew about the animals in the woods and how they lived and moved.
He knew about the rocks and the soil, and he studied the land around him.
He was a true nature lover. At an early age he found flint formed
into arrowheads in newly plowed fields near his home. He learned
the origins of flint arrowheads and how they were made and used.
He amassed a life-long collection of bone, stone, and flint implements
and arrowheads, and proudly displayed them for all to enjoy. One
of his favorite poems, “A Treasured Implement,” was read at his funeral
service. It begins with the line, “Over fields of new turned sod,
communing with my God I tramped alone.” During his commune with God,
he learned to hunt and live off the land. He could hunt for food
with a weapon or with just a string. Jimmy learned that by being
quick and aggressive, he would be rewarded with a catch of game, fish,
or fowl. That is the way I knew him -- giving his all to the task
at hand. Jimmy never let up. He was the Charley Hustle in my
life.
***
On our way toward Paducah, Ky. Laurel said,
"What is that man doing?". She pointed to a
field at the edge of the Cumberland River (bottom land). It had just rained
five inches of
rain and this man was walking in a muddy plowed field, with his hands in
his pockets. I
knew exactly what he was doing. When I first had arrived in Kentucky in
1962-63, I had
lived with my sister in Cynthiana, Ky. with her husband Jimmy. Jimmy was
an avid
sportsman, good enough to try out or play for the Cincinnati Reds. Jimmy
had a collection
of arrowheads displayed in his living room. I had asked Jimmy where he
had gotten them,
he explained each arrowhead is called a point. He pulled out a worn and
tired book. The
book separated time into periods of time. Times that Indians wandered and
hunted with
spears, bows and arrows. He showed me mortars and pestles, axes, spears,
clubs, bird points, fish
hooks made out of bones. I said,” Jimmy where did you get all this stuff?”
He said,
“Dennis, after a hard rain, go to a new plowed field and walk. The flint
will shine and
sparkle in the sun. Most will be just broken flint, but if you look carefully,
you will find
tons of arrowheads.” Kentucky is surrounded by rivers, The Cumberland River
to the west
and south, The Licking and Kentucky Rivers to the east, and the Ohio River
to the north.
The Mississippi to the west. The land adjacent the rivers were called bottoms,
this land
moved/washed toward the Gulf of Mexico. That is why these rivers are muddy
and the
bottoms are quite fertile. Indians roamed Kentucky, it is a glorious hunting
ground with
these fences of water. Bison, bear and deer roamed these areas, before
that mastodons,
as eagles, owls, falcons, heron and ducks fly overhead.
***
His agility allowed him to be a natural athlete,
and soon after high school, the minor leagues courted him as a baseball
player. He would have made an outstanding major-league baseball player,
but he had promises to keep and miles to go before he slept.
+
He worked for the local sausage company in
Cynthiana before and after he went into the Marines. My sister Sandy
and I met him while he was in the service on leave the night before the
Rose Parade. Sandy and I always attended the Rose Parade when we
were growing up. I was a sailor stationed in San Diego at that time.
The day of the parade, I was on leave for the holidays and was again spending
time with my family. After meeting her, Jimmy swept my sister Sandy
off her feet, and married her. They soon moved to Camp Pendleton,
California, near Mission San Luis Rey, to begin their married life together.
+
Jimmy’s aggressive behavior and unique abilities
to move unnoticed made him well suited for the Marine Corps where he excelled
on the ground and in the air. His friend, Wade, came from far-away
southern Georgia to honor Jimmy at his funeral. Wade and Jimmy met
while serving in the Marines, and continued to be friends all these years.
+
I met Jimmy again after I completed my tour
of duty with the Navy. I was in San Francisco but left there on a
whim to go to New Orleans. At that time I had no place to go but
up, but soon found myself in need of work. The closest relative I
had is my sister Sandy who now lived with Jimmy in Cynthiana. With
only four dollars in my pocket, I hitchhiked to Kentucky to be with my
family.
+
November 22, 1963
A sad time shared in Cynthiana with
Jimmy and family.
While I was on the plumbing job I was working
on in Cynthiana. I found myself standing alone, high up on a hill, heart-broken
and in shock, looking out at the city, my newfound home after hearing that
President John F. Kennedy had been shot and killed in Dallas, Texas. We
all stood still in silence and shock.
+
Jimmy was working as a butcher for the Webber
Sausage Company in Cynthiana at that time. While at Webber’s, Jimmy
applied for a job as a police officer in Lexington and I returned to California.
I am not sure how and when he got the job, and I did not see him again
until 1968 when I moved back to Kentucky. While working in Cynthiana,
though, I learned to sand floors, do some plumbing, and to know the animals
of the woods. When not working at Webber's, Jimmy was doing all the
things he loved -- working on his yard, hunting in the woods, and collecting
arrowheads.
+
Jimmy once told me a story about when he worked
for the Webber Sausage Company as a hog butcher. He had purchased
a toy rubber snake for his garden and he was going to show it to a co-worker.
Before he could do this, however, he set it down while he was changing
into his white work clothes. About this time, he heard a loud commotion
behind him. He turned and saw his co-worker standing visibly shaken
and upset, holding one of the meat cleavers they used to butcher hogs.
There on the floor was the rubber snake cut up into 20 or so pieces.
Jimmy’s friend loudly told him to NEVER bring another snake into the building
no matter what it was made of!!
+Jimmy loved to play ball. Jimmy and
I would play catch with a softball while I was living in Cynthiana.
I also attended his slow pitch softball games at the local parks.
Jimmy played very aggressively at either the shortstop or third base positions,
and I was privileged to see him make an amazing unassisted triple play.
Jimmy was in the infield at third base with one man on second and another
on third with no outs. The batter hit a line drive on the third base
line that looked impossible to catch. Jimmy ran, dove for the ball,
and caught it before it went into the outfield. One out!! As he fell,
he scrambled to third base before the runner could get back to tag up.
Two out!! He stood and saw the man from second base trying to turn
and head back to second. Jimmy, always fast and aggressive, had no
trouble catching the man before he could get back to tag up. He caught
him about 10 feet before he reached base. Three out!! Unassisted!!
There was a roar of applause from the crowd and a lot of back patting after
that unusual play. It was very nice indeed.
+
Kentucky basketball has become a passion with
me.
My heart beats and my emotions soar when they
play their game.
I learned about the famous Kentucky basketball
coach Adolph Rupp and the Kentucky Wildcats from Jimmy and his dad.
I also learned about the uncanny ability of a Kentucky fan with a strong
pitching arm to throw a cream colored radio across a room in reaction to
a bad play. I had a front-row seat to see that 1950 type radio fly
high during a particular Kentucky basketball game.
Kentucky basketball has become a passion with
me.
+
Jimmy and Sandy’s cabin in the woods of Berea,
Kentucky: The trails were all named as they were built. You couldn’t
lose your way in those woods. Jim and Sandy put their hearts and
souls into building their dream cabin. He was in constant search
of supplies on the streets of Berea for any object that could be useful
in creating their paradise. The cabin sat on the side of a hill in
the woods, hand-made with love and the sweat of their labor. Every
stone, every piece of wood, was etched with the labor of love. Sandy,
Jimmy, and their children were on an intimate basis with each piece of
wood used to build their cabin in the sky. Their cabin and land became
a haven for creatures great and small, and their home became a place where
all came to spend some time communing with nature and their God.
+
The many faces of Jimmy Hatcher: Rugged outdoorsman;
fisherman; hunter; muscled Marine; baseball player; loving husband, father,
and son; uniformed policeman; hippy undercover cop; friend; university
suit; and Southern Gentleman.
+
I will miss my friend Jimmy Hatcher for the
rest of my life. He was my teacher of so many things. At his
funeral, his favorite poems were read and mementos of his life were displayed
for all to remember him by. I don’t need to look at pictures to remember
him because he is etched in my heart and mind. There will always
be moments when I miss him dreadfully, but he will be there whenever I
think of him. His family and friends celebrated in his life and love
as he was laid to rest in his favorite place. His favorite baseball
cap was placed on his head, his hand held a single red rose, and he had
a mint in his pocket. Bumper stickers proclaiming the greatness of
the Marines (Semper Fi, buddy) and the illustrious Kentucky Wildcats were
placed on the outside of his coffin. As we stood on the cold, wind-swept
hill overlooking his pond and cabin, the dogs, geese, and ducks also celebrated
the love they were given by Jimmy and blessed by God. It was a fitting
memorial to a unique individual.
***
Everyone, please write whatever you want to add here in your own words. There is plenty of room for text and just a few photos.