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May 2004, "Kewpie of the Month" Jim Winscott - Class of 1959 
Jim Winscott - (April 4, 1941 - May 21, 1975) Early 50's - Summer
after graduation - 1969
Arguments? Fights? Sure we had them. But, those were at home. Bring on anyone from the outside, and we were glued together at the hip defending one another. We were a fearless team! Jim was four years (and three days) older than me. I was always the tagalong little sister. Our mother, Mildred Winscott, relayed to me that on the day I was born, Jim went door to door in the neighborhood and told everyone that he had a new baby hister. I was always, perhaps begrudgingly at times, included as one of the boys, whether it was backyard baseball games or a neighborhood round of tag or hide and seek. It was, in fact, in a neighborhood baseball game that I lost all my front baby teeth. I was six years old, trying to catch a line drive from a fourteen year old. I missed the ball with my glove ~ but caught it easily in my mouth! I viewed Jim as the strong, silent type. In that respect I think he took after our dad, Delbert Winscott. Teachers at Hickman loved Jim. He was a class leader, a strong student and a dedicated athlete. One teacher in particular would reward Jim every Monday, handing him an envelope with a silver dollar inside, for his play in Friday night's football game. Jim was the quarterback for the Kewpies, started as a forward on the basketball team under Coach Jim McLeod, and in the spring somehow managed to both run track and play baseball. If memory serves me here, I believe Coach McLeod coached the same group of players at Jeff Junior and moved to Hickman at the same time they moved to high school. I remember Jim was often referred to as one of the Jims. His two very close friends were Jim Estes and Jim Baldwin. At 6'4” Jim was the epitome of strength, health and vitality. After graduating from Hickman in 1959, Jim enrolled at Mizzou. He played freshman basketball under Coach Thornton Jenkins, You may recall at that time NCAA regulations prevented freshmen from playing at the varsity level. Jim pledged Beta Theta Pi fraternity and lived in the fraternity house during some of his years at Mizzou. After earning his B.S. in Accounting, Jim remained in Columbia, studying for his Masters Degree and preparing to take the exams to become a CPA. His first employment was with Ernst and Ernst in Tucson, Arizona. While in Tucson Jim met and married Mary Glenn Trachta. At the time, Mary Glenn was a high school mathematics and computer science teacher. In November 1971, Jim and Mary Glenn's first child, Michael James Winscott, was born. Mike was joined by a little sister Mary Michelle Winscott in June 1974. It was during the years of 1973 and 1974 that Jim began to have signs of a serious illness, but it was several months before doctors were able to pinpoint that Jim had leukemia. When Jim died in May 1975, Mike and Michelle were 3 ½ years and 11 months, respectively. I know Jim would be extremely proud if he could see them today. Mike is a graduate of Oregon State University and a computer engineer with Intel Corporation in Portland, OR. He and his wife Keri are expecting their first child in June, 2004. Michelle earned her B.S. from Occidental College in California, and her M.D. from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York. She is currently in her final cycle of residency in Family and Community Medicine in San Francisco, CA. There are many fond memories of growing up with Jim as my big brother. It is hard to believe it has been 29 years since his death. Although the years have diminished the pain, I am saddened by the realization that we missed the experience of having an adult brother-sister relationship. Jim's legacy, however, lives on in the hearts and minds of all of us he left behind.
Zay Winscott Reynolds
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