Farewell, Blue
January 11th, 2011 by Rik Forschmiedt |
Vashon sports lost a true friend when Jim Martin died Sunday.
Jim was one of those people who made Vashon Youth Baseball work when my son began playing shortly after we moved to the Island. Not only a coach and an umpire, Jim was the moving force behind many of the field improvements.
Anyone who plays or watches baseball at Vashon High School can thank Jim for the beautiful field. While he obviously didn’t do it all himself, he was always working to upgrade the facilities.
As I got involved in Vashon sports and worked at The Beachcomber I got to know Jim as a friend, but it was sometimes hard to get him to talk about all he did for not only baseball, but all sports where he could. He insisted on giving credit for every individual and company that worked on an improvement, but I sometimes had to go to others to find out all he did himself.
Jim was sometimes known as “Blue” because of his umpiring. “Blue” is the proper way for a baseball coach or player to address the umpire with a question. And although Jim was an umpire himself, he didn’t hesitate to question the current “Blue” when he had on his coaching uniform.
A few years ago Jim publicly acknowledged that he was behind the Blue Scholarships presented each year through the Vashon Island Scholarship Foundation.
As a photographer, I often saw Jim at games or other public functions and he loved to have his picture taken. I remember taking a picture of Jim and University of Washington basketball coach Lorenzo Romar when Romar came to Vashon to scout Pirate player. Jim bought copies to show the grandchildren and later told me how much the kids liked the picture of grandpa with a celebrity.
Jim also proved to a great judge of dogs. While Jim and Anne were living at Vashon Community Care, he was one of the judges at a dog show for the residents. Out of all the dogs shown by staff and families, my black Lab mix, Bogey, was awarded Best of Show. I later was told it was Jim who swayed the rest of the judges in favor of Bogey.
Up until just a few days before his death Jim continued to attend Pirate basketball games.
Blue, Old Man, Jim, Coach, you will be missed.
Jim was one of those people who made Vashon Youth Baseball work when my son began playing shortly after we moved to the Island. Not only a coach and an umpire, Jim was the moving force behind many of the field improvements.
Anyone who plays or watches baseball at Vashon High School can thank Jim for the beautiful field. While he obviously didn’t do it all himself, he was always working to upgrade the facilities.
As I got involved in Vashon sports and worked at The Beachcomber I got to know Jim as a friend, but it was sometimes hard to get him to talk about all he did for not only baseball, but all sports where he could. He insisted on giving credit for every individual and company that worked on an improvement, but I sometimes had to go to others to find out all he did himself.
Jim was sometimes known as “Blue” because of his umpiring. “Blue” is the proper way for a baseball coach or player to address the umpire with a question. And although Jim was an umpire himself, he didn’t hesitate to question the current “Blue” when he had on his coaching uniform.
A few years ago Jim publicly acknowledged that he was behind the Blue Scholarships presented each year through the Vashon Island Scholarship Foundation.
As a photographer, I often saw Jim at games or other public functions and he loved to have his picture taken. I remember taking a picture of Jim and University of Washington basketball coach Lorenzo Romar when Romar came to Vashon to scout Pirate player. Jim bought copies to show the grandchildren and later told me how much the kids liked the picture of grandpa with a celebrity.
Jim also proved to a great judge of dogs. While Jim and Anne were living at Vashon Community Care, he was one of the judges at a dog show for the residents. Out of all the dogs shown by staff and families, my black Lab mix, Bogey, was awarded Best of Show. I later was told it was Jim who swayed the rest of the judges in favor of Bogey.
Up until just a few days before his death Jim continued to attend Pirate basketball games.
Blue, Old Man, Jim, Coach, you will be missed.
(courtesy of Vashon Beachcomber)
In Memorial: Jim Martin
The youngest of four children, James Scott Martin was born in Narberth, Pennsylvania, a suburb of Philadelphia, to Frank Gartland Potter and Helen Dare Scott. His father died in 1931, and he was later adopted by Helen’s second husband, George Martin. His mother, a nurse who had trained at Cook County Hospital in Chicago, taught him early to be strong and that he was. His family had tough times from the start, but he helped them keep moving forward. He graduated from Oak Park High School. From Oak Park, a western suburb of Chicago, he got to Cubs games and became a lifelong Cubs fan. It is fitting that he last saw “his Cubbies” at Safeco Field in the summer of 2010, his last.
Jim played American Legion baseball in his teens, and when he was 15 played on a team that played in the national championships (in North Carolina). He believed fervently in being part of a team, and because he was not a starter on that team, he found his place in the dugout. He studied the game, cheered for his teammates, encouraged them and played his heart out--hard but fair. Later he became a lead-off hitter and always gave the pitchers a fit on the basepaths. He was an excellent center fielder, notching just one error in four years with the University of Montana Grizzlies and captaining the team his senior year.
Jim worked from a very early age, and often reminded his children of the days when he earned 25 cents an hour working at the local drug store. After a trip with a cousin, he fell in love with Montana and enrolled at the state university in Missoula (a school now known as the University of Montana). He pledged Phi Delta Theta, soon met a blue-eyed Alpha Phi from Seattle named Anne Swanson, and knew instantly that he was going to marry her. They wed in 1951, and Jim graduated with a bachelor’s degree in business in 1952.
After finishing an Air Force hitch, he went to work for the J. Neils Lumber Co. Jim quickly worked his way into sales, and so it went for 30 years selling lumber, plywood and doors. After living all over the United States, Jim and Anne returned to the northwest to live on Vashon and finish his career in Tacoma (by then Champion International, now International Paper). He chose well for his family and helped connect them with wonderful communities all over the country. In Jacksonville he immediately took up tennis and had a wonderful group that would play daily (and very competitively) when they got off work, no matter how hot or humid it was. In fact, he always would invite prospective new sales people to come play tennis, so he could see how graceful they were under pressure and how they responded to competition.
He found sports to be a way to keep his kids as busy as possible and around good people and out of trouble. He believed in hard work, and found swimming to be a tough sport that provided his kids with an outlet for energy, competition, reaching for goals and getting to sleep early. As a committed volunteer, he found time to be at hundreds of swim meets with a stopwatch in his hand on cold days, wet days, hot days just the same
After retiring in 1990 he quickly returned to baseball, his major passion all of his life. He loved getting to know the kids, and many people have individual stories about his life behind the plate. After several years of umpiring, he found that he wanted to be in the dugout with the kids and other coaches, allowing him to dispense more advice, which was his life calling. “Go for it,” “Keep your head down,” and “Take two, then hit to right,” were some of his standbys. He believed hard work will get you what you’re aiming for.
In his final years he slowed down a bit, but was still driven by sports and kids and grandchildren. He moved to Vashon to be close to all of his grandchildren and get the chance to see them grow up and watch their games and performances. When his wife, Anne, declined in health and could no longer live at home, he wanted to be by her side, and they often took rides around the island to watch the world go by. They would end up parked overlooking the beach at their house. They loved their Vashon home, especially the view of the water. Jim passed away peacefully in his reclining chair, asleep after looking at that view one last time. He was full of energy to the end, and his spirit will remain with the many people he touched in his life. The tale of his life would not be complete without a mention of canine creatures: he loved dogs, and his last, Sadie, was his constant companion.
(courtesy of Vashon Beachcomber)
Baseball Community Honors Jim Martin
The Vashon baseball community turned out in full force on Saturday (4/28) to honor Mr. Baseball, Jim Martin. It was the opening day ceremony for Vashon Youth Baseball & Softball (VYBS), with Lance Morgan as the day's Emcee, and Art Thiel of the Seattle P-I as the keynote speaker. The highlight of the festivities was undoubtedly the tribute to Jim Martin. Head Coach Steve Hall spoke warmly about his assistant coach, and even made a joke saying "...we wanted to name the field after Jim, but the school board said we had to wait until he was dead." After presenting Jim with a plaque containing the varsity team photo plus a ball signed by the players, Steve read the inscription, a quote from Jackie Robinson, which he said summed up the man perfectly: "A life is not important except in the impact it has on other lives." Also unveiled was a 4x4 wood sign generously donated by Wagons of Steel which will be installed under the scoreboard at the baseball field. The event finale was the announcement of the duel mayoral candidacy of Lance Morgan and Jim Martin for unofficial mayor of Vashon Island's Strawberry Festival. They mayoral race is a fundraiser, with voters plucking down a dollar per vote. Proceeds will benefit Vashon Youth Baseball. Click here for event photos.
Jim Martin Field Resolution
VASHON ISLAND SCHOOL DISTRICT #402
King County, Washington
RESOLUTION No. 656
A RESOLUTION OF THE Board of Directors of Vashon island School
District No. 402, King County, Washington, directing that the baseball
field at Vashon Island High School bear the official name “Jim Martin Field”.
WHEREAS, James Scott Martin was born in 1929 and had a love of baseball that inspired a playing career that culminated in his serving as the starting center fielder, leadoff batter and captain of the University of Montana Grizzlies baseball team; and
WHEREAS, Jim Martin spent the last 25 years of his life sharing his passion for baseball with Vashon youth, developing training programs for young umpires, promoting baseball through the Vashon Parks District and serving as assistant coach and head coach at Vashon Island High School; and
WHEREAS, Jim Martin used his considerable persuasive skills developed during his 30-year career selling lumber, plywood and other wood products to collaborate with local businesses and to acquire or construct improvements to the baseball facilities at Vashon Island High School including new dugouts and equipment storage structures, batting cages, and other facilities; and
WHEREAS, Jim Martin selflessly donated personal resources and countless hours leading volunteer work parties to perform daily maintenance of the Vashon baseball fields,
WHEREAS, Jim Martin has served as a head coach or assistant coach for the Vashon High School baseball team for many years; and
WHEREAS, Jim Martin believed deeply in teaching equally both athletic skills and life skills for boys and girls such as leadership, dedication to hard work and sportsmanship that serve as well as adults; and
WHEREAS, Jim Martin’s selflessness towards his community, his contributions to Vashon Youth Baseball and the baseball program of the Vashon Island School District exemplify the values the Vashon Island School District seeks to promote.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, the Board of Directors hereby authorizes that the baseball field at Vashon Island High School bear the official name “Jim Martin Field”.
n Island School Di
ADOPTED by the Board of Directors of Vashostrict
No. 402, King County, Washington, at a regular meeting thereof
held on March 10, 2011
Jim Martin Field
We are happy to report the vote was unanimous and you will soon see a beautiful sign proclaiming JIM MARTIN FIELD in time for the Jim Martin Inaugural Alumni Game on April 2. The sign will be crafted by Vashon Island sign-maker, Chris Barnes of Wagons of Steel.
Jim Martin Inaugural Alumni Baseball Game
