Uncle Jim…

James French…my mother’s younger brother. He has been the patriarch of the family since Grandpop died…and he may be moving on to join them. There is something about stability when you have someone older than you to look up to. Even though we are separated by thousands of miles, Uncle Jim has been my father figure for some time. The family elder. A connection with the past. I’m hoping Jeanie and others can add to memories of him here.

I cannot even remember him from my childhood other than my mother talking about “her brother.” I met him briefly in visits and got a sense of who he was when he came to see Mum as she lay dying. A quiet man with a sense of compassion and warmth. And that is it.

I’m digging up the one tape I shot of him during my last visit, when I interviewed him about his father, my grandfather. Once I make a copy for myself, I’ll send it over to his family.