The puppet community has lost a great friend with the passing of Jim Hawkins.  I was a transfer student to CWU and enjoyed hanging out back stage with a nice man playing the grave digger in a production of Hamlet. During one show, Jim turne...d to me and said, "You should take my puppet class." I confess to having no idea he was a professor, but jumped at the chance to spend more time with this fascinating person. That decision changed the course of my career. In addition to puppetry, he introduced me to art, fine food, entertaining, junking, and decorating.  I was fortunate to spend time with his daughters Jenny and Laurie.... including a time stuck together on the top of a ferris wheel at a small fair at which Jim Gamble was performing! As much as anything, I enjoyed hours of conversations shared with the many wonderful people who had the priviledged of calling Jim their friend. Farewell and thank you mentor and friend for sharing your many gifts with us.

Again, this is quotes from an album dad made for Jenny & I.. sort of an autobiography:


"Because his parents loved being outside, James decided that he would like to be a soldier.  Because they got to play outside all the time, and wear uniforms and have lots of fun.  That lasted for a little while.  Then he decided that was enough of that."   

Another story from the photo book dad made to tell his life story:

"One day Arlin met a beautiful Princess whose name was Penelope Caroline.  They were wonderful friends, had lots of fun together at work and play, and decided to get married.  Princess Penny and Arlin worked hard to give themselves a present... and before you knew it, Arlin was a college graduate!  They were both very proud of that!"  

My dad made my sister and I an album of himself.  Here are photos and excerpts from the album,

"But even when he had been a boy, Arlin loved to travel.  His parents had taken him to the ocean once and there he decided he would live forever; but they said that he should do chilren things and go to school instead.  So they went back home, and took other little trips." 
"Arlin James lived long long ago with his  mother and his father and his big brother Billy. Sometimes they would both put on their sailor jackets and go with their mother up to the family's summer cabin in the woods." 
"Arlin had sweet parents who loved to be in the outdoors.  They would camp and walk in the sunlit forest; plan picnics to have with their own children, drive their pretty turquoise colored car on trips and they had lots of fun." 

 

"My grandfather was a great artist.  He inspired me with my drawings and my writings.  He wrote a book, "Button the Elf" for us.  I love this book.  Whenever we saw grandpa, he would always draw with me and tell us funny stories.  We went to a hotel close to his nursing home and visited him a lot.  We thought he had maybe a week, but he died onthe fourth day we were there.  It was really sad.  I will miss my grandpa."