Joe James, R. I. P.

 Judy and I met Joe James and his wife, Al, when we moved to Brownwood in 1971.  Al taught with me in the English Department, and she's the one who invited me and Judy to play bridge with a group of faculty members and their spouses.  Joe was an excellent player.  He was also a great guy, as you'll see if you read the obituary.  I was lucky enough to have visited with him and Al fairly recently when they were in Houston.  If anybody should have played Jack Reacher in the movies, it was Joe.  Even at 80 he looked as if he could take on any eight or ten guys who were crazy enough to come at him.  I was lucky to have known him.  As Ali Karim would say, Joe was top biff.