Life story: Jim Maples' legacy of leadership
Editor’s note: this is the first of a series of four articles which will run between now and the May 1 Rotary Cancer Run/Walk featuring the four men being recognized as part of this year’s event.
Retired Tulare County Fifth District Supervisor “Coach” Jim Maples, who died Sept. 16, 2009, left a legacy of leadership which will long be remembered. He died after a courageous battle with pancreatic cancer. In addition to his wife Myrna, Jim left behind daughters Vickie Maples and Jamie Job, and Jamie’s husband Richard; grandchildren Rachel and Shane Maples, and Shane’s wife Rebekah; three nieces and six nephews; and two aunts and two uncles.
Jim was born to J. Homer and Nora Maples in Altus, Okla., on Sept. 23, 1933. A brother, Gene, joined the family in 1936. When the Great Depression and the devastating weather conditions in Oklahoma ruined the local agricultural economy, the family decided to move to California in 1938. Jim and his father headed west first to pave the way for his mother and little brother. They traveled via motorcar and hitchhiking when Jim flatly refused to get on the train. The family settled briefly in Live Oak but traveled throughout the Valley following the crops and other employment opportunities until they settled permanently in Porterville in 1946.
Jim started his formal education at Panama School in 1939 but thereafter attended so many schools during his elementary years he lost count. He was overjoyed when the folks settled in Porterville and he was able to attend Bartlett Jr. High and then onto Porterville Union High School to graduate as a proud member of the “51” Club. While at PUHS Jim was active in sports, ultimately lettering in four sports during his senior year and serving as basketball team co-captain. Jim’s college years encompassed attendance at Porterville College, Fresno State, and UCLA.
Midway through his college years, he met Myrna Cameron, then a student at Stockton College. After a whirlwind courtship they married in her hometown of Sequim, Washington, and then settled into life in Porterville. Jim and Myrna welcomed baby Jamie in 1955 and then Vickie in 1957. Their courtship may have been short but their marriage was enduring -- Jim and Myrna celebrated their 54th wedding anniversary in December 2008.
Jim’s list of occupations included insurance salesman, draftsman, rancher, teacher, golf course manager, pro shop owner/manager, restaurant manager, coach (basketball, baseball, golf), Director of Athletics, business owner, commercial property developer, and County Supervisor with a few other odd jobs thrown in.
Jim received many honors during his lifetime. The dedication of the Jim Maples Academy in the Burton School District was one of his most heartwarming honors. He was inducted into the California Community College Basketball Hall of Fame in 1986 in honor of his many years as Porterville College Basketball Coach. He was also named to the Porterville College Athletic Hall of Fame in 1999, placed on the Porterville High School Wall of Fame in 2000, and received the Book of Golden Deeds Award by the Exchange Club International. He was a Rotary International Paul Harris Awardee. The Porterville Chamber of Commerce honored his Economic Development efforts by naming him the recipient of the Allan R. Coates Distinguished Service Award in 2000.
A nearly lifetime member of the First Baptist Church of Porterville, Jim served as a Deacon, Trustee, and occasionally filled in at the pulpit in the absence of the minister. After Jim’s retirement in early 2007, Jim and Myrna divided their time between their homes in Springville and Morro Bay.
