James Ward was born in Kaufman County, Texas in 1926. He was a typical child of east Texas, born to parents who had sharecropped there for several generations. He was educated locally, and never left the area until graduating high school. But, he survived the Great Depression, the Dust Bowl, had a tough bout with spinal meningitis at 16, joined the Navy at 17, and before he turned 19, had campaigned in the Southwestern and Western Pacific Ocean Areas. He had been on ships in the fleet anchorage at Ulithi, and had witnessed the B-29 air strikes as they originated out of Guam and Tinian. Upon returning to the States in 1946, he was immediately sent to Africa. He thought the Navy was a place where you could get by on merit. So he stayed, served through Korea, Vietnam, and the early 70's. He did many things he never dreamed of as a boy. He rarely returned to Texas. Mostly for funerals. He didn't care for the state. Thought it was a little mean to its citizens.

At the appropriate time, he married a woman from Louisiana. She didn't much care for Louisiana, they were a good match. They had a marriage and the right amount and kind of children that folks of that time and background had. They eked out some happiness, made progress, and seemed to enjoy their lives. Go figure. When events went well, they let it ride. When things broke, they fixed it. He spoke with a accent so thick he struggled to make himself understood.

The accent faded and so did his sense of localness. He became a student and participant of the world he inhabited. And he questioned things relentlessly, including himself and his own motives and desires. And what he became was unique, one of the most unique persons you could be fortunate enough to encounter.

He didn't much care where he lived. He was little interested in big houses and useless machines. He liked things to work, and he could make anything work, and he liked things to be paid for. What he wanted more than anything was for his children to be decent. He didn't care a whit what they did for a living, since to him all work was important. He wanted to live in a big, noisy, energetic, tolerant, and great county. He scoffed at the idea of the United States being a "great" country. He felt we were only at the beginning of a long and perilous journey down the path of representative democracy, one strewn with the impedimenta of many well intentioned nations which had also set out, but failed.

He believed whole heartedly the clearest path for a worthy nation was for everyone possible to vote. He felt voting should be the single easiest thing to do in life like going for a walk. His views on present efforts to expend enormous resources to stop a person from voting illegally instead of making it less onerous and daunting for all citizens to vote is simply a dodge for more sinister intent. He also believed Americans are really good at counting. If your gal or guy loses, get over it.

He believed no nation on earth benefitted more from immigration, especially now. Did he believe in borders? Sure he did. No one, not one single person in this country, advocates open borders. Not a single person. Folks need to decide what they want for reasonable laws. He believed until the public decides that, they'll just continue to holler and claim it's the other fella's fault.

Now try not to have a come apart here folks, but he believed the Federal Government was a thing of majesty, something which did enormous good for the great bulk of it's citizens. And while that's buzzing around your head he was proud to pay taxes. He was pleased with what he got from them. Good roads, sanitation, parks public health, the occasional aircraft carrier, what more could you want? Please pause here to have something cool to drink……

He was somewhat vexed by the low public opinion of the Congress, since he believed the Congress has never come close to as accurately reflecting the American public as it presently does. Looking in a mirror can be a bit off putting. He wanted me to pass on to you to give public schools a break. As near as he could tell, for historical purposes, the first day of school in North American was the high point. Every generation of adults since that day have sworn it's been a down hill slide since, and getting worse all the time. Meanwhile the poorly educated kids keep winning Nobel Prizes and creating making vaccines and post-it notes when they're not busy turning into humpbacks from toting their classroom home each day.

He wanted women to have control of every aspect of their lives, without exception and conditions.

By his 90's he was tiring of states and localities. He wanted folks in Oregon, Alabama, and Georgia to be playing by the same rules and standards. He found it ironic many states struggled mightily to keep the federal government from telling you what to do, but the didn't have any problem being more intrusive than the national government ever attempted to be.

James Jackson Ward was a grateful man. He wanted me to pass on to you that it was a heck of a ride. He had no complaints and wanted folks to quit moaning and complaining about every little thing. Trust facts, trust science, do the best you can for aa long as you can. Don't worry too much. Be skeptical, but never, ever cynical. There is great beauty right here, and in James Ward's last days on earth we discovered the angels are everywhere. As you get older you see them better.

Do your own work. The internet is a library, not an oracle. Look after your family. Help make that great country we keep yammering about. Be kind to yourself and be easy on the earth. There are those that make the world turn and those which watch it spin. Well, James Ward was out there, tryin', tryin' as hard as he could to make the old orb spin like a top. And having a good time at it.

He was a great man. I just thought you'd like to know. He didn't care much for Texas.