I was in the Navy in the Med in 1968 when I got the news that Jim had been killed in a car crash in the valley. My guitar playing buddy was gone and it hurt. Jim and Jenks Norwalk and I had some great time on Sandia since we were all mil-brats. Rest in peace brother.
James Edwin Callaway Jr., my 8th- and 9th-grade classmate at Van Buren JHS and my best friend, was a neighbor on 24th Loop at Sandia Base. I would have also attended Highland HS but my father's health crisis neccessitated a tranfer out of state. I last saw Jim in early June 1965, while traveling on Route 66 en route to the Far East with my military family.
Before coming to Albuquerque, Jim's father had been assigned to Bangkok, Thailand and Jim filled my head with funny and risque accounts of his adventures in the Wild East. (He used to parody "Sorry (I ran all the way home)" while singing with a Thai accent.) I spent many happy hours in the company of Jim's family and remembered his Texan parents as being strict and loving, warm, courteous and attentive. Jim was a fan of George Barris, the custom car designer, and loved to sketch the exotic characters from Barris' so-called "weirdo shirts." In addition to art, he was into music --- whenever he dropped by, my baby blue transistor radio was always tuned to KQEO-920 --- esoteric literature, motorcycles and cinema, particularly Elvis movies. And of course girls. Although a month younger than me, in some ways Jim was like an older brother, a role model to be emulated.
For some time I'd been searching for him on the Internet, convinced that someday we would meet again and laugh while sharing those memories. Then I came across his mom's obituary (dated 2009) and was horrified to read he had "predeceased" her. I have since learned that he had been killed in a two-car collision at the intersection of 2nd St. and Mountain Road, on Nov. 14, 1967 -- just weeks before his 20th birthday.
When Jim Callaway died, I lost a dear friend. Highland's Class of '65, his family members, the University of New Mexico, America and the world lost an exceptionally bright, courageous and gifted person. It's tragic that his time ran out before he could realize his unmistakably great potential. It's hard to believe almost 50 years have passed since he left us. As someone who was close to him as a teenager, I feel privileged to be able to eulogize him here, today.
Bill Brandow
I was in the Navy in the Med in 1968 when I got the news that Jim had been killed in a car crash in the valley. My guitar playing buddy was gone and it hurt. Jim and Jenks Norwalk and I had some great time on Sandia since we were all mil-brats. Rest in peace brother.
Phil Ramsey
James Edwin Callaway Jr., my 8th- and 9th-grade classmate at Van Buren JHS and my best friend, was a neighbor on 24th Loop at Sandia Base. I would have also attended Highland HS but my father's health crisis neccessitated a tranfer out of state. I last saw Jim in early June 1965, while traveling on Route 66 en route to the Far East with my military family.
Before coming to Albuquerque, Jim's father had been assigned to Bangkok, Thailand and Jim filled my head with funny and risque accounts of his adventures in the Wild East. (He used to parody "Sorry (I ran all the way home)" while singing with a Thai accent.) I spent many happy hours in the company of Jim's family and remembered his Texan parents as being strict and loving, warm, courteous and attentive. Jim was a fan of George Barris, the custom car designer, and loved to sketch the exotic characters from Barris' so-called "weirdo shirts." In addition to art, he was into music --- whenever he dropped by, my baby blue transistor radio was always tuned to KQEO-920 --- esoteric literature, motorcycles and cinema, particularly Elvis movies. And of course girls. Although a month younger than me, in some ways Jim was like an older brother, a role model to be emulated.
For some time I'd been searching for him on the Internet, convinced that someday we would meet again and laugh while sharing those memories. Then I came across his mom's obituary (dated 2009) and was horrified to read he had "predeceased" her. I have since learned that he had been killed in a two-car collision at the intersection of 2nd St. and Mountain Road, on Nov. 14, 1967 -- just weeks before his 20th birthday.
When Jim Callaway died, I lost a dear friend. Highland's Class of '65, his family members, the University of New Mexico, America and the world lost an exceptionally bright, courageous and gifted person. It's tragic that his time ran out before he could realize his unmistakably great potential. It's hard to believe almost 50 years have passed since he left us. As someone who was close to him as a teenager, I feel privileged to be able to eulogize him here, today.
Mark Schreiber
25 May, 2016
Tokyo, Japan