HomeMy WebLinkAboutJames C. Alexanderexample °f what
im walked his talk; anty and unselfishishness
lived with inter that goes
a life He made an impression
like. irit and changes
looks eep to a person s sp ine.1'm
down d know because he changed mowing rim
today because °f kn
lives.
abetter person Terty
GeCr`J _'
Alexander.
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Integrity, trustworthiness, honesty and
~,..;~~~ ~~ ,., wise-all words that describe our friend
~' yF~
and Team Member Jim Alexander. A
hm wa
s a source
awards"du . ofrnany special reco
with so Ong Excellence gnition
meetings, ye
find many parts of our busi was involved
things to celebr Hess that it
he packe ate in good was easy to
Texas d when he traveled, to fun...from the way
Aggies or some fu h°w he felt about
accounting like nny event that th°se
on an extra zer Dame out of
a vendor the ° °r two ever
ck• /im was y once in awhile
a v y good and
limr trm ntOO ether fun and worthwhil sport ma
was ' ved in de
many parts of e I mentioned that
is an understate
meet, lim our business
tune with was always av • ~ and that
me and my area in a ailable to invest
sound like it nY issue and
d°' l71 miss Dimas ki big deal or he had an3'thinever made it
Ion calbert ndness...he was a good fri ndse to
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smile, a laugh, a funny story-all things
we could count on him to give us each
and every duy. Jim Alexander personified
the Purpose, Vision and Core Values of
David Weekley Homes. And he did it
not only in his professional life, but he
lived out those ideals in his personal life
as well. The great thing is, he did it all
with a sense of humor and the kind of
positive attitude that was contagious.
It was hard to be around Jim without
cracking a joke or a smile! We hope
you enjoy these memories and stories
shared by Team Members from
around the courttry.
` As we all know, Jim really enjoyed his work and
~` possessed an unbelievable ability to stay focused
regardless of what was going on around him. [
worked with Jim for 30 years and could tell
-- dozens of stories. Here is one I always will
remember: Jim and I were working on a project
in Mobile, Alabama. The bankers wanted to see
the project so Jim brought two of the Bank's top officers
down to Mobile on a private plane. After inspecting the
project, the four of us left Mobile on the private plane
heading for New Orleans. The weather was horrible and
the plane was being bounced all around. One of the
bankers started vomiting and the other one was white as a
sheet. Jim and I were fine. In the middle of all of this Jim
looked at the two bankers and said, "Well are you going to
do the loan and what are the terms?" The bankers were so
sick, they just looked at us and said we could have whatever
we wanted. Just hurry up and land the plane! Jim and I
laughed the rest of the flight. Randy Braden
I miss Jim often -yet when I think about him a smile always
creeps onto my face! You see, I feel very blessed to have had
the opportunity to get to know and work with Jim, There ai•e
just some folks in your life that leave a lasting positive
impression, and Jim was one of those people. He truly
embodied the company's Purpose of "Enhancing People's
Lives" -not because the company said it, but because that
was how Jim lived his life. My favorite memories about )im
include his stories of when he came back from family
vacations with Vicki and the girls. As a Chief Financial
Officer of a major corporation, you know Jim was good at
financial planning and budgetin
to New York Cit g -Yet when he took his girls
Y - he lost all control! And when Deanna
got married a couple of months ago -forget about it!!! So,
while lim was a great financial man -his love for his family
caused him to lose all control, and show the soft heart we
all know he had...So, I miss Jim and I miss the positive
influence he had on me and this company: Yet I know he is
looking down from above, wondering what all the fuss is
about and just wanting me to get back to work! So, Jim,
here I go...be seeing .vou.,..David Weekley
:~
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nder was like a g°od ed like
with lim plexa 6 ears, it seem
working with us y e aeound.
Our time only worked
~ihile he ,m was always C0~~f °rtable t0 b s handled
tnarriage• and alway
een forever. l if not more, laining•
it had b would do, without comp
said he manner
did what he h prof essional ition or
a thoroug • did without recogn
issues in many things lim
o realize and uncover
There were so e for us t
ill take a long tam our
f anf are, it w for our company' ed us to enjoy
the items he d~ o ed what he did and help always had the
Iim enl y self too seriously, d
took him roblems an
never s help others solve p
He
own l°b' situation , way.
defuse ~ a hunlo~ous land
ability to news in es. pCesentations,
so gp0 d on a number of issu work
deliver not It was always fun to
We work ether. ore than his share
half-baked ideas tog s did m
deals and s Ne alway 'Chat s one °f the
those 4rOject.. art.
on hard p rojects with
with rim o the 'Ceam p
was my
and would Volunteer to d ed to work °n
s 1 liked being assign with lin'~ He
reason l liked working
him The best reason
friend'• Russell Rice
(--
I was luck
the recruiting ~ Y enough to
Weekley. Dunng ' ;i`~ 18 years old liave kno
's first day at were a growing ~, and a s wn limm
is of Jim that while we the sprin . °Phomore at T Y fora
My best memory him R °f 1968. g°r than most of
Ss 1 told conservative the ' exas A$
rote. , a very • ~ lollowin We develo M, and he us• 1 w
mterviewfng p erated on Very careful gYear Ped a frier was as
and ' large. we still op we were ~ lortun and friends dshi a freshen
fairly risks, and ate eno for ~ P and bee an in
company and ugh to YLars to ame roo
We did not take unreasonable the road i be take inmates
Houston ; ,.~ n We/bor n rn by his Lome' While at sc
basis. verhead. fiddle o[ a ' n 77~eir hor whole famil pool I was
c,nses and o a Monday, rn them T office `' dorm for Y whic
rw our dates to sta• ne was always open f h lived down
about exp' with us °n new HS ay, After Yon /ootba//
lien started ved into our
recently rr10 and it had gone became t getting to kno weekepds.
and we had just •in AIC problems, the building w his fa or ome cooked meals,
summer, erienc. g he perso mi1,Y, ther. °rlust a place
had been exp the temperature in After• e was to get
morn g building to school nd ll knew and loved.
building• We in n0 d°ubt ho
By Monday around the apart thr mar•ria w ~""'nY
Saturday As 1 took lien e began to sweat. It °ugh the ge, as '
off that Tees. hers, w sec Years, and 's often the
was well over 100 deg Team ivlem e we made it up except for an case, our
st all of our Prot°n hand information from a mur °ccasional cony paths grew
wet by the am Y much to
him to mo, oaking shook
ersation
introduce We were s ' kept up with me, st touch. Then, i ual fiiend or
and worse. gut lien a of Week/eY 1011 he n April of °r business
got worse Dept. area. ith everyone• Not that 1 had and 2000, associate, we
(ioor Design eetings w the not heard in someone calling me as I came out the
to the third leasanAgr w aired later in was y old n Years• I looked by mY old cone e doors
and exchanged p as rep m Erie
even' hand, him. The d with his han uP and g nickname
faint from down. Homes. Thro `~ few ste
word of comp uickly cooled our first day ugh the d out welco ps in fro
next few Ming me rat °I m
office for tune catchin Years to David e
the building 4 came to my of the air g up and • we were Weekley
morning and Dora Iim ~ the issue difficult, the fortunate to
that aftern be bring up tanned renew'ng our past. Althou spend
Later then did ed and p 'n mY heart. Bat
Only CFO, he hop could remotes 1 have of/irnrnY will a1w gh his passing has bee
wrap up meeting• that as our new
He said wherein the future we ~ Sm;th ays hav n
conditioning• h profits to the weekend!!!! 1 will e a special
make en°ug over Place
on helping us the air conditioning And 1 will smile
leave on and in my memor1l•
afford to in my heart One of my favorite memories of Jim is how he
ve Jim Sohn Johnson
always ha of him• enjoyed telling a good story. Don't think he could
every time 1 think
do it very well sitting, but he was at his best
standing up. He would get really close, and you
From the first time we met, Jim and l t"iereely fought the time could hear and feel his excitement. Most of the time
honored rivalry that existed between those of us from UT and there was a lesson to be learned but sometimes it
the Aggies. It didn't take long before threats were made (meaning was just a good old war story. Jim had more
r~~,.. im resented me with a most unusual proposition. His
bets) and) p experience than most and really studied people well. '`
suggestion was that the side that won was supposed to deliver to He was always willing to help, and he used stories ~ ,, ~
~ osin Team's mascot. The loser then would have very effectively. Mlke Humphrey ~
the loser the opp g `"
~, ~~~a
t `g~ to keep this mascot on their desk until such time as the to es ~ ~~
~ ~ '
s
- turned. Well, UT has had a long rvn of victories over the Aggies ', y~
•, and needless to say, Jim was not happy when folks came in and I remember so m
asked if he went to UT when they saw Bevo on his desk. It was any good times with Jim Alexander: He was
such a fine example to me and to everyone around him. He was
even mentioned that if you wanted to see someone boiling mad, extreme) br•itr
Y ~ht and knowledgeable in so many subjects. Jim has
hit the play button For the Eyes of Texas on this toy. Jim made our been a friend and mentor since tray early days in homeb ' '
rivalry fun, and funny, but more importantly he taught me that it's 1 remember one evening a few urldrng,
working late, and I sto Years ago, we were both
just agame-enjoy it. dim Rado Aped in to tell him
bit. He was in such a g°Od n'ght and chat a
g-•eat mood. He began telling me about the
business trip he'd been on and how, in his absence, Vicki, Me an
,, r
There are a couple of thin , `:, and Deanna had remodeled a room just for him, g
gs that always just amazed me about Mr. Jim, FIe Repainted, put
came through some very tough times working for Gener in a nice desk, some new
and pleased him to no end.' Itdon't rem nib t was a huge effort
was a graveyard for homebuilders then and those were excephonallHbadton
Throu h "~ his birthda or Father's Da ; er now if it was for
g all of that, Jim maintained his own irate Y times. Y
has always been impeccable. I've never heard a ne at' y but it was a celebration of '
grity Iim s personal reputation `~?mething special. At any rate, he told me he finished his
shenanigans Din g rve word. With all the business early and called Vicki to let her kno
g g on in today's business world, Jim Alexander has been a pillar
of inspiration to us all. People have said that sometimes ou a day ahead of schedule, Somehow, she & the h i d be home
soul in the eyes of his children, Having been around Jim and Vicki's d overdrive and got everythin g' s went into
Y can see a man's g completed before he
Megan, for the last few years with our intern ro aughter; He was so touched and so roud. got home.
true. Both Deanna and p dam, I'd have to say this is g Smile on
his face. [t made me feel good justHo be nsthe samJ
Megan are chips off the old block. Rick MOOre
with him. Kaye Logan a room