Family reminisces about student

By Elizabeth Ogren
Staff Writer

"Life's short. Make fun of it," was a phrase that James "Jimmy" Gates said often. Printed on one of his favorite T-shirts, the saying was one he lived by.

Jimmy, who died April 1 in a car accident, was 23 and a senior in the School of Technology.

Sitting at the kitchen table in his parents' home, Jimmy's family reminisced about his strong will. "Jimmy didn't get caught up in the little things; he had a lot of direction," said Kelly Gates, Jimmy's sister.

"He had a lot of direction," responded Jim Gates, Jimmy's father.

"He was a little stubborn," admitted Jacci Gates, Jimmy's mother.

"He left us a lot of strength to go on," said Kelly.

His father said that Jimmy seemed to have more determination in the six months prior to his death than he ever had.

"He was living every aspect of his life up, and he grasped hold of all of his responsibility," he said. "It was unbelievable."

Jimmy's childhood nickname — "Thunder Cloud" (because he was too dense to be called son) — stuck with him through the years, being shortened to "T.C.," said Jim. But Jimmy grew up to be everything but what the nickname implied.

Engaged to Mandi Williams, also a senior in the School of Technology; ready to graduate with a degree in organizational leadership and supervision; and having a brand new truck on the way, Jimmy was ready to be an adult but not necessarily on his own, said his family.

Jimmy lived in a sort of bachelor pad on his family's Battle Ground, Ind., property. Jimmy lived in a cottage next to his parents' home that overlooked the river, where he could easily be around the things he loved — family and nature.

A passionate outdoorsman, Jimmy hunted and fished every chance he got.

The family's nickname for the living room in the cottage is "the dead room," because of the trophies of his favorite pastime hanging all over the walls.

Jimmy participated in 4-H for 10 years while growing up on a farm, before moving to Battle Ground.

The cottage was the perfect place for Jimmy to live.

"He would actually come back from a morning class, fish for a couple hours or hunt for a few hours and then go back to class," said Kelly.

"He could take the simplest things — creeks and streams — and get far more enjoyment out of those things," his dad said.

Jimmy and Mandi, who also loves the outdoors, were planning on living somewhere surrounded by woods and water — a place where if they sat on their front porch, they couldn't hear anything.

His passion for the outdoors is what led Jimmy's family to set up a scholarship at Camp Tecumseh in Brookston, Ind., along the Tippecanoe River. Donations given in Jimmy's name will give a child who could not have afforded it the chance to experience the nature he loved so much.

"If we can give an inner-city kid that experience, that's the greatest contribution we can make," said Jim.

Aside from the outdoors, Jimmy was intent on finishing college and buying a truck. Fellow students and friends have been encouraging Purdue to grant Jimmy his degree in honor of his hard work. And the deposit on the truck that Jimmy wanted and carefully shopped for was returned to the Gates family by the Lafayette automobile dealership.

Jimmy worked hard for what he wanted, his family said.

"I don't think he would have changed a thing; he always did 100 percent," said Jim.

While looking for a truck, Jimmy got a loan application from the bank and then kept going back every week to make sure that everything was as it should be.

"I can't feel sorry for myself; he left so many memories," said Jim. "The things he accomplished in 22 years and he touched so many people — it's amazing."

• To make a donation in Jimmy's name, checks can be written to Camp Tecumseh Endowment Fund, with "James Gates" in the memo section. Send donations to: Camp Tecumseh, 12635 W. Tecumseh Bend Road, Brookston, Ind., 47923.

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