COLUMN: My Friend Jim

*This is an opinion column*

TUSCALOOSA, AL — Acquaintances, friends, enemies and rivals may come and go, but you never truly forget the folks who were good to you.

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As I sat at a table in the Bryant Conference Center Thursday night, amid the rattling of silverware on porcelain and nearly choking from wearing a necktie during the Chamber of Commerce of West Alabama's Annual Meeting and Awards, I was reminded of one such person.

And yes, the night was a special one for many, even some of my dear friends, as the Chamber honored business and community leaders for their contributions over the last year. The event also served to welcome home retired United States Sen. Richard Shelby after his decades of service.

Throughout the program, there were numerous videos played for the honorees, including Sen. Shelby, that featured some of the most prominent members of our community detailing why the specific award winners were worthy of praise.

Chamber President and CEO Jim Page, who will soon depart us for a new job after more than a decade heading up the chamber, figured prominently in the videos, but he never once used the word "I" unless he was referring to someone else.

Indeed, he's a selfless man and ageless wonder who looks much younger than his years — likely a reward from some higher power for all of the good he has done in this world that often goes unseen. Despite being one of the most visible public figures in Tuscaloosa, he is humble, self-deprecating and not one I've ever seen jockey for the spotlight and pats on the back.

In the true spirit of what a Chamber of Commerce is supposed to be, he is the quintessential advocate, whether it's for massive manufacturers looking to expand, bar owners hoping to stay afloat during the pandemic lockdown or the founder of Tuscaloosa Patch needing to be talked down from his craziness when the competition against entire organizations with full newsrooms nearly became too much to bear.

But some of my favorite Jim Page memories happened over a decade ago, when I looked much younger and he looked very much the same.

The summer before I started graduate school at the University of Alabama, the job market in Atlanta had spat me out and it became impossible to find entry-level work when it required five years of experience.

So, with no other options, I did the one thing I'd previously swore I wouldn't do: Return home to Tuscaloosa a failure, with my tail between my legs and nothing to show for the college degree I had worked so hard for.

Fortunately, Robin Jenkins became the very first person in my journalism career to take a chance on me as a writer when she brought me on as an intern at the Chamber to help with the launch of Rising Tide magazine.

As an interesting side note, I wrote stories for the very first issue that was delivered as an insert in the Tuscaloosa News and also wrote a story for the very last issue before the Chamber — now with me on its Marketing Committee — opted to take the product digital.

However, it was during this brief internship before I started back school that I was allowed to sit in as a fly on the wall during a meeting of Jim Page, Chamber COO Donny Jones and then-Tuscaloosa News Publisher Jim Rainey.

Today, Jim Rainey is one of my most valued confidants, gurus and sounding boards, but most importantly, he has been one of the most supportive friends I have.

The same can be said for Jim Page.

But as I sat there in Jim Page's office, wearing cheap pleated JCPenny slacks and $25 loafers I bought with tips from delivering pizza, I sat in awe listening to those three grown-ups discuss how the business side of Rising Tide would work.

I had never felt so out of my depth in my life.

That was my first real memory of Jim Page, but it isn't the one I'll be grateful for until my dying day.

So, let's fast forward a couple months into my internship.

My late Grandmother was a saint, my hero and loved finding ways to do things for the kids at the Free Will Baptist Children's Home of Alabama in Eldridge. It had been a passion of my Granddaddy's before he died several years earlier and one we decided to continue as an excuse for us to spend quality time together — not that we needed one.

Before I started graduate school, we had talked about doing something nice for the kids at the children's home before they started back school in August.

Then, she had the idea of buying school supplies and delivering them. Getting to spend any time with that woman always meant the world, so I immediately began to save what little money I was making in tips and doing landscaping part-time for us to load up a cart with pencils, markers, packs of paper and cleaning supplies.

And one day while I was at the Chamber's old downtown office off of University Boulevard, I noticed we had a pretty well-stocked supply closet. I'll never forget being somewhat timid going into Jim's office and seeing his brow was slightly furrowed as he scanned over some papers after getting off the phone.

"Mr. Page, I-I-I was wondering if there was any way the Chamber would mind donating some office supplies for my Grandmother and I to take to the children's home in Walker County."

Instead of letting me walk out with a few packs of loose-leaf paper and some pens, he took out a checkbook right there and cut me a personal check for $100, which, believe it or not, was a lot of money in 2012.

Why he did that I'll never know. He didn't have to, was new on the job and had a million other things more important to worry about than the request of a skinny, ill-dressed redneck intern.

But if you could have only seen the faces of those kids and the organizers there when we showed up with more than two-dozen plastic bags filled with everything most of them would need to start the school year.

The people who know him will believe that he didn't ask for a damn thing in return, much less recognition. He didn't even follow up with me to ensure that I hadn't cashed his check and walked right around the corner to spend it all at Wilhagan's bar before the ink was even dry.

That's Jim.

And to this day, he remains as steadfast and committed in his love of supporting people who need it. He was even the first person to reach out when I announced I would be coming home to launch Tuscaloosa Patch.

And as those videos rolled one by one Thursday night during the annual Chamber awards — which will be his last as president and CEO — it seemed like everyone was being honored except my friend Jim.

So, in the spirit of the videos filled with dignitaries, I thought I would construct my own crude tribute to Jim Page to show him just what he means to each of us.

Tuscaloosa loves you Jim and will never forget you.

Nikki Ray, EatMyBeats: "Jim has not only been a great mentor for us personally, but he's been a great friend. He's done great things for the Chamber and it's going to be very hard to replace him. He's very forward thinking. He won me over five years ago when we had the music festival and the president of the Chamber came to me and said 'what can I do for you?' You don't see many Chamber presidents do that."

Matt Ray, EatMyBeats: "He's a good drinking buddy, too"

Chamber Chief Operating Officer Donny Jones: "Jim is not just my boss, he's my partner and we do everything together. He's always been that type of leader. From the day he started, we were in the fight together. It's bittersweet to see him leave, but at the same time, I wish the best for his family and him because he's had a huge impact in the community. Many people don't realize what all he's done and the advocacy not only in Montgomery but federally. We're going to miss him a whole lot."

Kelsey Rush, president & CEO of Tuscaloosa Tourism & Sports: "Since Jim moved to Tuscaloosa, I’ve had the honor to work with him in many different capacities. From the get go, he has always been driven by a passion to make a difference for the community that we all call home. Jim has this unique ability to bring people together, to embrace difficult conversations, and to find creative solutions that has truly improved the vitality of our community. He’s also been a great friend and partner to our organization at Visit Tuscaloosa and I will always be grateful for his willingness to save a seat at the table for our organization and for our industry. Jim has always had the best interest of the community at heart, and it’s been a personal privilege to learn from him and work alongside him over the past decade."

Bobby Bragg of JamisonMoneyFarmer PC: "Jim and I hit it off day one. I moved here about half a year before he did. I think we had lunch probably one of his first couple of days in town and I think I knew immediately and he knew immediately that we were going to be good friends and kind of both had the same vision — that we've got to do something to move the needle and we both felt like we could do that together. I think his comments tonight are indicative of not only how far we've come in the last 10 years, but how much we've grown in the last 10 years. But we've got plenty of good opportunities to move forward. Whether he's in our community on a day-to-day basis, or just in spirit, we can keep this thing going."

Outgoing Chamber Board of Directors Chair Tripp Powell: "Jim set that standard for me, particularly when it gets really tough and thick. He's the first guy I think of to call. He's so level-headed, he always has a response that's rooted in everybody benefiting and he's kind of a tether to making sure it's done the right way. In my most challenging times, I feel like he's a guy who could calm me down a little bit and bring me back to center. It's something I certainly learned from. He's a guy who can just calm it all down and I don't have that talent. He's a really, really good friend. His family are good friends, his daughter is good friends with my daughter and he just sets that standard for me."

Have a news tip or suggestion on how I can improve Tuscaloosa Patch? Maybe you're interested in having your business become one of the latest sponsors for Tuscaloosa Patch? Email all inquiries to me at ryan.phillips@patch.com.