In Memoriam – Jim Flynn

Longtime NALMS member and supporter, Jim Flynn, passed away on March 18 after a long battle with Parkinson’s disease.

It is not possible to overstate the contributions that Jim has made to NALMS over the years. A member of NALMS from early in its history, Jim and his employer, Hydrolab Inc., were perennial sponsors of NALMS’ annual symposium and the Student Paper Award. Jim was instrumental in the success of the annual symposia, particularly in the early years of the Society. He organized the exhibits as the chair of the Industrial Relations Committee for many years. He also was responsible for significantly improving our poster sessions, encouraging members to work with ideas that had been successful for other societies. Jim was a constant recruiter for NALMS as he traveled the country, successfully persuading individuals and groups to attend NALMS meetings and join the organization.

Jim Flynn was the recipient of NALMS’ highest individual honor, the Secchi Disk Award, in 1999. In 2007, NALMS renamed its Outstanding Corporation Award the Jim Flynn Outstanding Corporation Award in recognition of his longtime support of NALMS. The Jim Flynn Outstanding Corporation Award recognizes the corporation considered to have contributed the most to the Society’s goals.

Beyond making NALMS stronger, Jim was a great role model for people in business. He treated everyone with respect, was genuinely interested in how people were doing—both personally and professionally—and he made everyone feel like they were part of his family. There are countless stories of Jim paying for things when someone else couldn’t, of kind words offered when someone was feeling down, and offering sage business advice that relied on moral courage and human values. He was a man of faith, a leader by example, and a very good friend to so many. He will be missed.

Viewing will be at Cook Walden Funeral Home in Pflugerville, Texas (florist 1-877-894-0431, code 51230) and a memorial service will be held at 1:00 p.m. Saturday, March 21 at St Vincent De Paul Catholic Church in Austin, Texas. An online guest book is available on the funeral home’s website.