Jim passed away Saturday May 30th 2020 after a stroke. Jim will be missed greatly by all that knew him. He was one of a kind.
To know Jim, is to love Jim. He was truly one of a kind. Jim was a devoted husband, father, and friend. Amateur Radio played a major part of Jim’s life, not taking the hobby too seriously and was just looking to have fun with it. He would bring you along whether you wanted or not, and he would make sure you would have fun along the way. Jim was full of life and wanted to share it with everyone. Having the pleasure knowing Jim professionally and here in the hobby, he was truly one of a kind person that comes into your life. All of us that knew Jim were truly blessed to have him in our lives and have him as a friend or a coworker. I will miss our morning weekend chats over coffee on 75 meters, be it SSB or AM. Then there was all the times on local repeaters, and let’s not forget the hamfests. Jim, thank you for being a part of our lives and a great friend to many. You touched many of us in ways you would not give yourself credit for. Thank you for being my friend for all these years. I will miss you. 73 for now, until we meet again. Steve W7UDI
Damn, I’ve been off of my HT since the COVID pandemic. Tuned into the W7 DTS repeater for the past two days waiting to hear Jim and one of his famous ragchews. Hadn’t heard anything so I just did a Google search and found out the news. Great guy, one of the kindest hams out there, a huge loss for the central Washington amateur radio community. Sorry I never got the chance to get that cup of coffee and meet in person RIP.
There were TWO James Stewarts in Golden Age Hollywood. One, who used "Jimmy" on stage, we all know. He never got a callsign, but had a lifelong interest in radio and technology. He probably learned Morse Code as part of his pilot's training, most did in the 1930s, and was certainly an aviation radio operator, but never a ham. The other James Stewart usually used Stewart Granger to avoid confusion with the "real" Jimmy Stewart but also occasionally used "James Stewart." He had a number of good roles but was never really a big star, although my mother (b. 1929) knew who he was and that he had changed his name. He had a W6 callsign in the name of James Stewart and was an active ham. Apparently he let it lapse at some point because he had an N6 callsign at the time of his death. Thus, two "James Stewarts," both about the same age, both active in Golden Age Hollywood, and both radio operators, but only one a ham.
