Jim attended the University of Delaware and participated in its Reserve Officer Training Corp (ROTC). He graduated in 1959 and went to Benning, Georgia for Officer basic training for 8 weeks. Then, he was commissioned as a first Lieutenant, sent to Fort Dix, New Jersey, and assigned to the Infantry Corp. At Fort Dix, he participated in the basic training of new enlisted and drafted recruits.
Upon completing his 6 months of active duty, Jim joined an Ordinance Company of the Army National Guard in Millsboro, Delaware. While in the Delaware Guard he experienced one, two-week call-up in 1962 when a severe Nor’Easter hit Rehoboth and Ocean City. His unit was activated to supplement local law enforcement, maintaining order and protecting property.
Jim concluded his service obligation in 1965. For the majority of his life, he has been involved in agriculture business as a grain farmer and buyer and silo operator. Jim and his wife Betty moved to Londonderry in 2022.
