Tributes & memories: An unlikely friendship...

This first day of spring 2012 is a snowy, sad day. I bought a Daily Inter Lake newspaper in Hungry Horse and learned that Jim Dupont had died suddenly. I had planned on stopping by Jim’s office to chat with him later this week.

Most people will think Jim Dupont and me an unlikely pair as friends. Jim was a Republican and I am an independent that votes Democrat and who writes many articles against the Republican Party. But we had very much in common that dated back to our early adulthood.

In 1965 I graduated the University of Michigan with degrees in mathematics and engineering and enlisted in the Marine Corps. It was during the Vietnam War and Jim was a Navy pilot at that time. The Navy is in charge of the Marine Corps and they issued me a critical skills deferment to work under a commercial defense contract for them on the Phantom F-4 fighter jet and Gemini space capsule programs as a civilian engineer in lieu of wearing the uniform and seeing combat.

Jim and I reminisced about those good old days the last time we spoke, as he showed me his office in the newly renovated County Courthouse. We ended that long conversation with a discussion that we felt we could resolve most of the partisan political issues of the county, just between ourselves, if only government worked that way. We would agree to disagree on some of them, but would compromise and reach a consensus effectively on most of them. I greatly admired his ability to be open to ideas and speak civilly to and be considerate of others.

While working for McDonnell Aircraft (Boeing) on Phantom and Gemini during the daytime, I attended law school at night. Similarly, Jim had earned a degree in criminal justice, so we had that in common as well.

Later in time, while I worked for Lockheed Martin Aerospace in Colorado during the daytime, I became a volunteer deputy sheriff at night, during the time Jim when was Flathead County sheriff. Yet still more in common. During this time period I was awarded an honorary membership in the Old Crows, a special club for old pilots which Jim was a member of.

Jim attended the FBI Academy while I attended the U.S. Border Patrol Academy as a member of their Citizens Advisory Committee. There were many parallels in our lives.

I recall how Jim attended most of the forest fire management information meetings in Hungry Horse during the horrible 2003 wildfires. They were well-attended by residents of the Canyon who were surrounded by fires near Apgar Mountain and near the Hungry Horse Reservoir. Jim was a calming influence as he reassured the citizens of his county that everything possible was being done to fight the fires and evacuation procedures were being put in place should they be needed. His personal concerns were genuine and greatly appreciated by the residents and it was at that time that we became good friends. I ended up supporting his victorious Republican primary election for county commissioner several years later.

A couple of years after being elected commissioner, Jim appointed me to be chairman of the Desert Mountain TV District in an effort to restore free airwave NBC-TV signals and to plan for eventual combining of Desert Mountain and Apgar Mountain TV translator equipment for future conversion from analog signals to digital signals.

My best times with Jim were when we would quietly meet for lunch and discuss politics and government and reminisce about our common backgrounds. Despite our political partisan differences, we enjoyed those conversations and camaraderie.

I will greatly miss you, Jim Dupont… rest in peace.

Bill Baum is a resident of Martin City.