S.A.V.E.S.
In the early ‘80s, Jim and I were roommates in Sinton. He was the Charter Executive Director for S.A.V.E.S. (Sinton-Odem Area Volunteer Emergency Service) and I was a Sheriff’s dispatcher and volunteer EMT. When he first came to Sinton, I offered him a place to stay until he was able to move his Wife down from San Antonio. I don’t remember how long he stayed at my house but, the friendship we developed and the respect I had for him never waned. We spent a lot of our down time sitting in our living room and talking about his experiences (I had none since I was in my early twenties and yet to experience much past high school). He talked about Viet Nam and his time in New York quite a bit. And, to watch him perform day after day, knowing the physical hardships he carried, was admirable. It is, in large part, due to Jim’s efforts, that S.A.V.E.S. was as successful as it was back then.
I left Sinton in the late ‘80s (I don’t remember if it was before or after Jim) and moved to Austin. Our paths crossed one more time in the mid to late ‘90s (I think) when he came to Austin and called me up. We had lunch at a small restaurant (La Madeleine’s) near Seton Hospital and he offered me a consulting job, helping to design the 911 system for Laredo. By this time I had been out of the Emergency Communications business for a few years and, not feeling confident in my ability to add value to the project, I declined. It is one of the few regrets I have because, knowing Jim as I did, I’m certain he would have been able to build me up to the task. He had that quality about him; he was the rising tide that lifted all boats.
I’m glad I found the foundation’s website and wish you all the success in the world in being able to fully fund the scholarships and grants you intend to offer in Jim’s name. What a fitting tribute to a wonderful man. I only wish I had heard of his death at the time. It now seems so distant as to make my condolences hollow.
As little as we saw one another, over the years, knowing he is now gone from this earth gives me a sense of loss I can only describe as having one of the strands in my rope of existence broken. While he was alive, I knew I could – if I ever needed to – pick up the phone and call and he would be there to help in whatever way he could. I grieve at the loss of that friendship…they are so few.
I’m nearing the end of a 30-year career with the Department of Public Safety and have begun taking prerequisite courses for nursing school. After all this time, it is those few years with Jim and the S.A.V.E.S. crew that made the most impact on me. I’ve always longed to get back into emergency medicine and now, I plan to do that.
God bless,
Jimmy Guckian.