Perpetuating the Name

When you marry a man with III after his name, there’s no question what the first son will be named. So when the second baby was a boy, the birth certificate read James Rufus . . . IV.

According to the birth order theory, Jim should have characteristics of a middle child, but because he is the first son, he is supposed to have the traits of a first born as well. He definitely does not fit the pattern as well as his older sister. He is his own man.

His personality from the time he was a baby was easy-going and happy. I remember when he was about a year old and he received some inoculations during a visit to the doctor. Everyone was expecting him to begin wailing when the needle went in, but he just watched and then looked at me as if to say, “What IS this?”

Jim is the athlete among our children. From the time he was quite young, we could see that he was not only very coordinated and quick, but strong also. He was 6 when he took a racquet ball racket and began pounding a tennis ball across the net. Because he was short for his age, this feat looked even more amazing than it actually was. We started him out with 15 minute lessons with a pro so he would learn the correct strokes, but not overdo it and burn out on the game. Keep him hungry for more was our motto.

To shorten this tale, Jim excelled in both tennis and basketball, but the former was his bread and butter. He eventually went to college on a full ride and was all-conference for three years and broke school records. He never wanted the hassle of traveling on the pro circuit, so when he graduated, he elected to be a teaching pro here in his hometown. He continued to do this for over ten years.