Jim was born in Newark, NJ. He lived there
for about 20 years. He played baseball in
High School. After High School Jim played
semi-pro base ball for over a year for the
Newark Bears, a farm team for (guess who)
the New York Yankees.
Jim went to Albright College in Reading
Pennsylvania where he got BA in Psychology.
He played Inter- collegiate baseball for
three years and was forced to retire from
baseball due to a shoulder injury.
After realizing he wasn’t going to
play for his beloved Yankees, Jim found his
vocation through sports. One of his first
jobs was working with disturbed kids. He
loved coaching them playing baseball. He
found that he derived tremendous satisfaction
with helping others. That caused him to get
his Masters in social work. Jim went to Rutgers
University for Graduate School and received
his Masters Science in Social Work.
Jim’s mom was a first generation
Italian American. His father was Czechoslovakian.
Jim’s wife, Linda claims that she married
him because his mom’s spaghetti sauce
was “the best”. Jim and Linda
have been married 34 years. They have three
children: Gina, Chris, and Lori. They are
all grown and doing well.
Jim came to the Seminole County Mental
Health Center as Executive Director and has
been there over 22 years. When Jim started
at the Center, it was a small clinic. Now
they serve over 5,000 people with a full
range of mental health and substance abuse
services. Jim’s job takes him frequently
to Tallahassee and Washington to secure funding
for one of the most neglected segments of
our society.
Jim was recruited for Rotary in the Longwood
club by Judge Leffler. With Rotary’s
help, the Children’s Village was built.
When Jim’s office moved to Fern Park,
Mary Owen recruited him for the Casselberry
club. Jim was Secretary and later President
of our club. He is now Chairman of the International
Avenue of Service.
