Aloha Pumehana, Jim Hamre

Jim Hamre didn’t talk all that much during our NARP board meetings, but when he did, it was never a gratuitous comment. Yes, it was usually just a few words, but it was always relevant, always on point. I didn’t really get to know Jim until rather recently. I think it was after our board retreat last July when he and I found ourselves together on the Empire Builder headed back to  Seattle. Yes, of course, we talked about trains and transportation, but conversation came easily on all sorts of subjects. Like baseball. Jim was a fan of the Seattle Mariners and we talked about coordinating one of my trips through Seattle so we could meet at Safeco Field for a game between his Mariners and my Red Sox. I would have enjoyed that a lot, because he was the perfect companion for a ballgame. Jim was Easy Company and I’m going to miss him. We all are.