The Legend of Walkin' Jim

This post is a tribute to an Allegan/Barry County legend. Any of you who live and travel around the north portions of Allegan County surely have seen ol' Walkin Jim. Here is an exerpt from the article:

Locals knew his as "Walkin' Jim", but by any name James Hendrick was a familiar part of the Allegan County landscape. Hendrick was a staunch believer that daily walking did a body good, but his idea of a daily walk could have challenged even avid walkers. Up until the age of 80, Hendrick distance walking, said his great-niece Julie Miles.

"Every day, he would walk from Shelbyville, to Gun lake, to Patterson and back, " Miles said. His routine included a monthly round trip hike to Plainwell. His hiking gear included a hat, orange suspenders, and a backpack. The Allegan county Sheriff's Office required him to wear the orange suspenders.

I have my own special memory of Walkin' Jim. About 11 years ago, I lived in an old farmhouse in the town of Shelbyville. I rented it at the time. Man do I have some good memories of that place. It was the poorest time of my life and quite possibly left the best savory warm thoughts I can remember. The house had that old classic charm of a country farmhouse. It did not, however, have HEAT. That was a fun winter sleeping on the waterbed cranked on high and running a few electric space heaters.

So one day, I hear my girlfriend at the time screech from downstairs and I came running down with the shotgun. It was evident in her voice that something was seriously wrong. As I cleared the last step of that old staircase, I was shocked by what I saw. There, standing in the dining room, with his classic old form stooped over and sporting his cowboy hat, was WALKIN' JIM. I spoke with him and asked him kindly what he was doing. Jim spoke in a somewhat mumbled group of words and I calmly put my hand on his shoulder and said, "Jim, sit down. You want a glass of water?" And as he carefully pulled the chair back and sat down, not uttering a word, a memory was etched into my soul. The LEGEND, WALKIN' JIM, graced my presence for just a little while. It amazes me that some 11 years later, even without saying a word, what a memory he left.

After sitting for a while and softly mumbling in a response I took as "thank you", Jim sat the glass down, stood up and pushed the chair in politely. He then tipped the front of his hat and out the door he went.

Walkin Jim died on March 30 of this year from complications with pneumonia. He was 90.

Thanks for the memories Jim.......