Jim Tucker: Bryan’s Ambassador Of Grace

UNMISTAKEABLE … It’s not hard to pick out Jim Tucker in a crowd. (PHOTO BY TIMOTHY KAYS, STAFF)

(Story originally appeared September 26th, 2018)

By: Timothy Kays

You’ve no doubt seen Jim Tucker somewhere in the Bryan area, and if you haven’t seen him, you’ve heard of him. He is that guy who stands in his front yard out near the Bryan Schools, waving and shouting words of encouragement to students and parents before and after school. He is that guy that can be found on the corner up by the hospital, waving and shouting words of encouragement to healthcare workers and patients.

He was that guy that worked as the stand-in school crossing guard that waved to passing traffic when he was not ensuring the safe passage of kids across the street. He was that guy that was honored as the Grand Marshal of the 2017 Jubilee Parade. He was that guy that might have had your kids seated on his knee at Christmas. In fact, Jim Tucker might be the only Santa Claus in the area to remind kids that Christmas is about Jesus, and to be thankful and obedient to their parents.

Who exactly is this Jim Tucker guy, anyway? Jim grew up with five siblings, and is a member of the Bryan High School Class of 1976. He has been married to the former Deanna Luke for 33 years in July. They have two children. “Julie is the oldest,” Jim said, “…and there’s Joe.

Joe is a first grade teacher for Bryan City Schools. Julie works for Denison University. It’s about 30 miles east of Columbus in a little town called Granville, Ohio. She does research and assessment for the college, and she’s the Assistant Vice President of her area. They love her, and she loves them. She got her Masters from Harvard.”

Okay, but what’s the REAL story of Jim Tucker? How can he be so upbeat and engaging? Why is he so joyful in a world that is becoming darker by the day, and why is he always trying to share that joy? The best person qualified to answer that question is Jim himself. “My last two years of high school, I went to Four County,” he said.

“When I graduated from high school in May, I got a job working seasonal for the Park and Rec. I ran the softball program for the kids and Tot League baseball for Dave Schumm. I did that, but I was just seasonal. When the end of July came, they said, ‘You’re done, and thank you for your service,’ so I was out of a job. Well, I went to the high school. I don’t know why I went to high school, but I went to the high school.”

“I was walking around and I ran into Doug Johnson. He said, ‘Jim, how you doing?’ I said, ‘I’m doing good.’ He asked where I was working, and I said, ‘I just got done with the Parks and Rec doing their baseball and softball programs, but I’m out of work right now so I’m going to have to start looking. He said, ‘We just had a custodian turn his resignation in, so we have a custodian job open. Why don’t you put your application in? We’ve got a board meeting coming up this coming Tuesday. We’ll get you hired, and we’ll get you started.’

So I filled out the application. I never got interviewed, and I got hired. I was the only one who went for the job. So I graduated in May, and then started back in school in August. I worked for Bryan Schools for 36 years and then retired.”

At the age of 12, Jim was working a paper route. It was then that he also began his lifelong work with kids. “I started working in the Tot League program,” he said. “There is a head supervisor, and I worked under him. I started coaching Tot League baseball here in Bryan at the age of 12. I did that for a long time, and then when I turned 18, I wanted my own team.”

“So I knew the person that was the vice president of the Minor League system here. I asked him if there was any openings, and said that I’d like to have a team. Well, an opening came up, so I put my name in and they voted me in to coach Little League. I did Little League for 16 years, plus I did flag football, and fifth and sixth grade boys’ basketball under the varsity basketball coach. I’ve been a kid all my life, and I’m still a kid you know; I haven’t grown up.”

“I’ve been around kids all the time,” Jim continued, “…and it touched my life. What’s cool is in my backyard. I’ve got a backyard with grass, and the Tucker kids played wiffle ball back there. When they were done playing, I thought it’d be over. Then the neighbor kid kept it going, coming in sometimes to play wiffle ball. When my neighbor kid got done, other people came and played wiffle ball in my backyard.”

“I’m not coaching, but I’ve got kids coming to my backyard to play wiffle ball, and they just love coming. I’ve talked to the parents, and the parents say they love ‘Tucker Field’.”
“I’ve got the stuff outside; they can just come and play. I don’t need to be around. They’re good kids, and great parents. It touches me that after the Tucker kids quit playing, they kept it going. Somebody’s doing something right…God. He’s the one sending the kids my way. We’re keeping them off the streets, and doing positive things. You know, good kids.”
Jim might have been retired, but he was about to be called back into public service yet again. Jim described how his biggest gig came to pass. It was this job that began carving his legacy in stone

“Mayor Doug Johnson’s known me forever; he’s been good to me,” he recalled. “He came out to my house, rang the doorbell, and said, ‘Jim, I’ve been looking for a crossing guard. My crossing guard lady got hit by a car and she’s on leave. And so I started doing that in October, but in January, she came back. I thought, well, I’m done. Well, I was just going to be done to the end of the school year.”

“She quit in January. So I finished up school. I was just going to finish out the school year, because all the schools moved out here so they don’t need a crossing guard there anymore. I was done in June, so I did nothing from June until May, but people were coming up to me and saying, ‘Jim, I miss your smile. I miss your wave.’

Then in April, I saw two different people, in two different places that said, ‘Jim, why don’t you come to the corner at the hospital. You don’t have to come every day; just come once a week and that would be better than nothing.’ So I prayed on it, but I thought that if I’m going to start back up, I’m going to try out here first. I didn’t know what was going to happen, but God whispered to my mind and heart and said, ‘Jim, I want you to try your driveway first, and I did.”

“I started in when the weather got nice this last May. It took off like wildfire. The kids ate it up like cake, and then God said, ‘Okay, Jim; I need you to raise the bar a little higher. I want you back at the hospital corner for just once a week.’ I kind of drug my feet a little bit, and prayed on it. It kept coming back and you know when it keeps coming back, that’s God talking.

I said, ‘God, if you really want me to do the hospital corner, send me two different signs in two weeks time…and He sent me two signs. An older lady stopped by and said, ‘When you were the crossing guard up by the hospital, you made my day. Every morning you made me smile and laugh. I wondered where you went, but now I know where you live.’ She gave me a great pep talk, and I thought…this is God.”

She said, ‘You need to be out here. People are counting on you make their day. You brighten everybody’s day when you smile, and you laugh and wave.’ I said, ‘You know my friend, Jesus told you to stop by give me this pep talk that I need to be out here.’

It was awesome. I could tell God and the Holy Spirit was coming through her. She said, ‘You don’t just make my day, you make everybody’s day. You wave, you smile…you’re making a difference. I know you don’t think you’re making a difference, but you really are and you’ve got to believe me and trust me.’ I said okay, and I walked away thinking that was God’s number one sign.

“A week later, God used a second grader to touch my life for sign number two,” Jim reminisced. “She gave a medal for enthusiasm to my son, and my son bought this home to me. The little kids every month get awards, and she got an extra one for me. She ended up winning one herself, so we both got one, but she got this for me because she sees me waving every day in every morning and every after school. I went to her house that evening when I got this, and I thanked her.”

“She came out and said, ‘Mister Tucker, I got one too. Her mom came and got a picture of us side by side together. God used a second grader to tell me that I’m doing the right thing; I need to be out there. So now I do the hospital corner from like 7:15 to 8:15 every Thursday morning, Thursday afternoon, I’m out here. Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, I’m out here morning and afternoon…rain, shine or whatever.”

His voice quieting in contemplation, Jim said, “It took me one year to get the whispered sign from Jesus to get back out there and do it again. God used the people that came to me that encouraged me to get back out there. This whole thing is not Jim Tucker. It’s God and the people; that’s what got me out there. Jim Tucker would have stayed in bed sleeping in.”

“A few weeks ago, I had a lady stop by,” Jim recalled. “She was having a tough day, a tough week. I waved to her and I smiled at her. She parked in the parking lot at the hospital, came and talked to me. She said, ‘Sir, I’m having a tough time right now, but you’ve really helped me see the light again with your smile and your kindness. She gave me the biggest Jesus hug I’ve ever gotten from anybody! And while we were hugging, she was talking to me, and I was talking to her.”

“People driving by were probably wondering what was going on, and she kissed me on the cheek. She said, ‘You really helped me out today and this week, because I’m just having a tough, tough time right now.’ I said, ‘I’m going to tell you something; you’re helping me too. I’ve been wondering should I stay on this hospital corner and keep waving the people, or do I come out to the school and spend all my time out here.’

God knew I struggled with that, and I think God give me a sign that I am making a difference here, and the lady said, ‘I will pray for you that you stay out here on this corner, because you are awesome. You helped me…how many other people are you helping?’ I knew right away that God sent her. I know I’ll take this to heaven with me. It still inspires me.”

There are those who may well be critical of Jim and the way he espouses God and Christ. With the tide of adversity rising daily, is Jim going to respond to the pressure by packing it in? “I know I might get made fun of or ridiculed,” he said, “…but God says stand for Me and you’ll be successful.”

“When you stay in God, people stand around you. I know what you’re saying, because people don’t want to hear God; they want to hear negative stuff. But when you give God the praise and glory, and publicize God, oh…all the blessings He has brought to me. God is blessing me for what I’m doing for His people.”

“When you do a little bit for God, He pays you back double and triple. I tell people every day that I work for Jesus every day, and He’s a fun man to work for. He won’t fire you. He won’t write you up. You don’t get pink slips. You don’t get yelled at. He always tells me, ‘Jim, do your best, and the best is okay.’ You can’t lose with a situation like that. I’m not afraid to talk about God.”

Jim and his faith are one and the same. That faith he refuses to hide. He said, “I had a principal one time that really inspired me. He told me, ‘Jim, I admire you. I admire you because you love your faith. You love God, and it doesn’t matter who’s standing around you. You could talk about Him and not be afraid or embarrassed. I love that about you.”

“You could talk about God anywhere and it doesn’t bother you. I’m amazed about you; I’m so proud of you.’ God used him to encourage me to go spread the good news to all people, and so that’s why I do what I do. I have fun. I don’t like getting bored. I have fun, and I love people of all ages. I have fun in life, but I’ve been blessed. I’ve had a good ride.”

Jim doesn’t let on, but that good ride wasn’t always a smooth ride. “Yes, I had cancer in March of 2002,” he said, “…but God got me through that. He took me to it…He walked me through it. He got me through that. I’m doing fine and I feel cured, but if anybody wonders if Jim ever had any hurdles?”

“Yeah, I had cancer. I was off work 73 days, but I got through it. I almost lost my wife in November of ‘99. She threw a big blood clot to her lung. All the medical staff said that she should have died. On paper, she should have died, but God whispered to me that night and said, ‘Jim, I’m going to do something for you, buddy, that has never ever happened to you. You’re going to see the biggest miracle you’ve ever seen…your wife will live.’ God whispered to me, and said, ‘Jim, trust Me; trust Me.’ On paper, she should be in a cemetery right now, and I should have been a widower with two young kids.”

“So why shouldn’t Jim Tucker be God’s cheerleader? Look what He’s done for me,” he said. “So now I have the energy and the health to go and proclaim to His people. Whatever if it’s waving, smiling, a pep talk, ‘You’re good.’ ‘You’re a good dad.’ ‘You got good children.’ ‘You’re angels.’ ‘I’m proud of you.”

“Keep up the good work in your daily life.’ By saying those kind of words, if I can do anything, then that’s my assignment until God takes me to Heaven, whether it’s a day, a month or a year. I want to finish the race strong, and with other people coming my way, I will finish strong because God gets the glory.”

Timothy can be reached at tim@thevillagereporter.com