MEMBER PROFILES: Jim Regan

Jim’s the kind of guy who may as well wear a sign around his neck that reads "hug me". What is there to dislike about the man known for his kindness and relentless sense of humor? Perhaps it’s his "live for the day" persona (a self-description) that is the greatest lesson we can learn from him, for indeed it seems to have served him well.

For instance, there’s that time in his life when he went to college (directly out of high school) but enjoyed water-skiing at Folsom Lake more than attending classes. "I had a difficult time taking it seriously," he joked. Then he met Jo Ann and knew he wanted to marry her, but was unemployed and still in school. Jo Ann, too, had yet to complete her nursing degree, but, hey, how important are all those details. So they married. (Thirty-six years ago, by the way.)

Shortly thereafter, Jim happened upon a newspaper ad placed by the Sacramento Fire Dept. for testing/hiring. He thought it sounded good, applied, and passed with flying colors. No plan, just an opportunity he grabbed, though he does credit Jo Ann for guiding him gently back on course. (He even completed that college degree—thirteen years after he began.) The rest is history. He’s four years into retirement from the SFD. "I’ve finally found the perfect job," he says. "You get paid for doing nothing."

The thing is, he only has positive things to say about his thirty-year career. "It was different every day, challenging, and very rewarding because our clients were always happy to see us arrive!" He also feels very fortunate that his work schedule (24 hrs. on, 48 hrs. off) allowed him to be very involved in his two sons’ upbringing. In his words, he’s a "big kid" himself, so he has great memories of all the fun things they did as a family.

Jim’s cycling life began about 25 years ago after his oldest son, Tim, who had been very involved in BMX racing, branched out to road riding. He encouraged Jim to try it. He had been running to keep in shape ("in the fire department you have to be ready to go from 0-60 mph even when that bell rings you out of a dead sleep"). Still, he had some difficulty keeping up with the youngster, but after persisting eventually became a member of the Sacramento Golden Wheelmen (racing club). It was during this time that Jim honed the skills that have stood him in good stead. "You had to know how to ride in a group and in pace lines, or they wouldn’t let you in," he says. The downside was that racing can be tough. "You punish yourself in competitive cycling," he told me. It became too grueling after several years, so following the dictates of his fun-loving nature he moved from SGW to SW, where his spirit thrives. "I’m the best wheel-sucker in the club," he kids. "If I can catch a draft I’ll hang on longer than anybody."

Jim says he takes after his mom in many ways, although his sense of humor seems genetically linked to his dad. When he was growing up, his dad and brother liked to hunt and fish, as did the next door neighbor. But the neighbor’s wife regularly nixed her husband’s plans to join them, so his dad would make a point of throwing garbage can lids on to the neighbors’ roof as he was departing in the wee hours, announcing "We’re leaving now!" Meanwhile, Jim would remain under the warm covers, never grasping the allure of getting up in the dark and cold to go sit in a duck blind.

Impressed by his genuinely kind and warm nature, I wanted to know who had influenced Jim throughout his life. Without hesitation he said, "My parents." He describes them as people of integrity, patience, unselfishness and tolerance. Jim believes that all of these qualities were what "washed over" him. He also thinks that people tend to seek and surround themselves with what’s similar, with the effect being cumulative. In a sense, he takes no real credit for the person he is, but rather feels fortunate to have this particular cumulative effect. What I glean from this perspective is a compassion and tolerance for those whose "washing over" may have been very different.

Recently, Jim attended his 40 - year high school reunion where, by default, he performed the emcee duties. His classmates had urged him to run for class president in those earlier days, an invitation he had politely declined. "I’m more introverted than people might think. I take direction well." But after attending all the reunion meetings ("I loved all the lunches, dinners and socializing") he was elected "Alumni Class President" and was handed the microphone. "They decided I hadn’t really done much actual work on the reunion so they told me I was going to emcee." After some initial anxiety, it turned into a memorable and fun evening. "It was like reliving your entire life. Most of us had actually started together in kindergarten and gone all the way through high school together." And not to be left without a joke, Jim capitalized on the location of the festivities, Del Webb’s Sun City. "I told them we had gotten the banquet room for free, since the company knew potential customers when they saw them. Then I said they would only have to stay about an hour after the reunion to listen to the spiel."

Jim and Jo Ann are doing more tandem riding now, and thoroughly enjoying it. It took some time for them to get over the hurdle and be comfortable with their roles. Jim says that at first it seemed to Jo Ann that she had no control and the idea of just sitting and pedaling wasn’t all that enticing. But they’ve worked through it and she now trusts his judgments, and actually feels more secure on the tandem than on her road bike. Their goals continue to include happiness, enjoyment of one another and being good friends to each other. They’re not "world travelers", preferring short trips and the pleasure of domesticity. "It’s as though we have tap roots," he says. If he does a bike tour he begins to feel the pull at about Day 4, missing Jo Ann and home. Then there’s his three and a half-year-old granddaughter, to whom he is "Surrogate Mom". He and Jo Ann have her with them at least one day a week, and he misses her terribly if for some reason there’s a lapse in her visits. "I love to see her come through the door," he says.

His heart teems with admiration for so many people. There’s John Abbe, whose guts and grace in dealing with cancer and its "temporary" effect on his "ferocious" riding, just bowls Jim over. With a twinkle in his eye he recounted how just recently on a club ride to Cameron Park he was cranking up an incline when he saw the blur of a figure scream past him. "What’re you doing, Jim, trying to make me look good?" yelled Abbe, to which Jim responded, "No, John, you’re doing that all by yourself." And there’s Art Baum, whose impromptu concert at last year’s Crater Lake Tour knocked his socks off. It wasn’t just his music, which was fabulous, but the fact that Art was so quiet about his talent, letting others have the limelight. "It was one of the classiest things I’ve ever seen," he mused. And then there’s Jerry Walburg’s wine-making ability. He says he’s like "a fruit fly" searching for the lip of the bottle. "The guy is tremendously talented."

Jim plays golf with a regular foursome, but says his game hasn’t done well over the years. He began playing when he was twelve, and was quite good, shooting in the seventies on occasion. But when I asked him what his current handicap is his response, in Reganesque style, was "golf." He and Jo Ann both love music (Jo Ann still teaches piano out of their home), classical and jazz, and enjoy theater. Jim also enjoys cooking, a skill he had to develop during his tenure with the SFD. "I come from the era where the housekeeping, laundry and cooking magically took place" so his experience with the department opened his eyes to it all. Now he participates in all these duties at home.

He seems to savor everything, living in the moment, and perhaps passing some of that along to Jo Ann. She said to him recently, "I understand it now. It’s just about getting on the bike and twisting the pedals." Freeing your mind, zoning out, tasting, enjoying and being ever so grateful is the themes he touched on in our conversation.

It’s not too surprising that he has garnered the respect of those around him. Jim and I were rudely interrupted during our lunch together by some guy named "Geno" and some other tag-along named Larry Mesa. They stopped by on their way home from a club ride just long enough for Geno to wonder if perhaps I was "scraping the bottom of the barrel" for profiles. We all had a good chuckle, and I jotted down his remark for a comic addition to this profile. But what started as just a funny little moment turned into something quite touching. Geno’s tires must have still been warm from the ride when he sent me an email. Here are portions of it:

"Jim is one of the really likable and popular guys in the club, a valued member. When asked to do something he readily volunteers and performs the job with great enthusiasm and a positive attitude. He has a terrific sense of humor, never takes himself seriously, is always positive and upbeat, has a kind heart and never says anything negative about anyone, unless that person is terribly annoying. He appears to be well read, worldly and wise beyond his years. People could learn a lot about how to live and enjoy their lives by following Jim’s lead. These are some of my thoughts about Jim. He is very deserving to be profiled and a major reason why the club is so much fun."

Amen.

Lorri Hutchison

Not having had much personal contact with Lorri, and knowing only that she was the SW Ride Director who appeared to be a no-nonsense and "can-do" kind of person, I approached our meeting with a mixture of eagerness and intimidation. An hour into the gab-fest the intimidation had evolved into sincere admiration.

At age twenty-eight (just a few scant years ago…) while working in software support for a Bay Area company, Lorri began to change the direction of her life after making the commitment to quit smoking. Never having been very athletic, she nonetheless decided to challenge the "stop-smoking, get fat" maxim by donning running shoes and hitting the track. Taking advantage of the shower perk provided by her employer, she ran at lunchtime and found it to be a good release. Next was a 5K, a transfer to Sacramento in 1985 (where again there was the incentive of workplace showers) and the eventual suggestion by some thoughtful soul to do a fun triathlon. So, borrowing her daughter’s 10-speed Schwinn bike, Lorri rode 4 miles out and back, five days a week for a month, and knew at that point she was Olympic material. She had found her passion!

Upgrading to a newer, slicker Specialized Allez, Lorri soon began riding regularly. After about a year and a half of cycling on her own she mustered up her courage one day, and showed up at a SW ride. She refers to this period of her cycling life as her "geeky athletic moments" in that she would come to rides in her running shoes, "sleeveless-by-scissors" T-shirts, and a helmet the size of a bucket. But fortunately, she remained inspired and enthused, and gradually mainstreamed herself with a brand new Specialized with more efficient gearing, and more importantly, far more functional attire. Early on, Lorri was motivated by people like Hilde Bly who, in her 60s at the time, "rode strong and looked great", and Hugh Anglin who patiently taught her how to change a flat tire, and of course Alena Sykora who expressed as much joy about cycling the great outdoors as Lorri herself felt. One day in 1989, after being cornered at the end of a ride by Trudy O’Grady (then president of the SW) and Naomi Keller, Lorri finally joined the club. She continued on with her athletic development, participating in several recreational triathlons, biathlons and a duathlon, all in the name of fun. She completed three passes of the 1993 Death Ride, quickly discovering that other riders had some special gears called "granny" that she was sorely lacking. Her goal is to finish all five this year. "I’m a bit older and a whole lot smarter now," she quipped. Translation: her new Rex custom has a triple that she endearingly refers to as her "goat gears".

She insists she is not that competitive, at least outside herself. "I’m a completer, not a competer. I just like to accomplish what I set out to do, and do my personal best." This mantra becomes even more evident and credible when you hear about other aspects of her life.

As a single mom Lorri feels very blessed to have experienced such parenting success, as demonstrated in the person of her twenty-seven year old daughter, Kimberli. "We were a great, albeit unconventional team growing up together. There were some challenging times, but we’ve always been close and she is absolutely my best friend today." Lorri is very proud of her daughter’s accomplishments : graduating from San Jose State with a degree in Journalism, presently working for the San Juan Unified School District, and finding wedded bliss with her husband of four years. Added to this is Lorri’s obvious delight at having been at the birth of her first grandchild last Labor Day. (Her Christmas card is a picture of Lorri holding her grandson; her daughter and son-in-law are conspicuously absent, probably due to Lorri’s beaming pride taking up way too much frame space.)

Last spring Lorri graduated from Sac State with her degree in Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology. She has begun a new career with the Roseville Joint High School District as a provider of speech and language therapy services. That return-to-school journey began in 1992, after her Christmas week lay-off at System Integrators. With her daughter already away in college, Lorri began to set in motion her long held plan of completing her own formal education. The time had arrived to take the bull by the horns. She sold her townhouse, passed along the furnishings to her daughter, moved into a friend’s home where she now had a room instead of a house… and eagerly entered the collegiate fray. As to "downsizing" Lorri says it’s been a very liberating experience and that she has never been afraid to let go of "things". Which may be a result of her positive outlook and the self-confidence that allows her to trust that she will have what she needs.

To sustain herself financially during this period Lorri worked part-time at Easter Seal, Eskaton Adult Day Care and Roseville City School District as a therapy aide. Eventually, the demands of her lock step Speech program made it difficult to commit to a regimented work schedule. Rather than burdening her employer with constant requests for shift changes, she took to cleaning houses for several SW members, thereby maintaining her part-time income and having more control over her work schedule.

A few years ago during a Christmas break from school, Lorri was preparing for a club ride when she read the morning news about an animal rescue effort being set up in the Roseville Fairgrounds for animals displaced by the Marysville/Arboga levee floods. Never having been much of an animal person, she surprised herself by feeling compelled to cancel her ride plans and drop off some animal food at the Fairground. Once there, she just couldn’t leave, spending the week doing what she does best: "organizing". When help was sought to organize a triage area in Marysville, off she went. In Marysville, one dog that had a broken pelvic bone and other lesser injuries required transportation to a Vet in Sacramento. Lorri had to drive home to Sac. each evening anyway, and volunteered to drive the pooch for medical treatment. Like other surprise turns in her life, the trip became much more than it was originally intended to be, as evidenced by the Christmas card photo of Lorri , her grandson and her four-legged companion Resque, at their side.

She lists bike touring and backpacking as her most favorite things to do, loving the freedom, self-containment and the lack of a concrete itinerary. Her first and best self-contained bike tour was an eight-day Oregon coast trip, which got her hooked. Her graduation present to herself was a month long independent touring and hiking trip through New Zealand.

She perceives that many people may look askance at her for the somewhat unconventional path her life has taken. This surprised me, because as her story unfolded I saw her as a person who takes the less traveled road and endures the journey with heart and determination. Life doesn’t lead her, she puts her arms around life and runs with it, and I don’t think it gets more honorable than that. As I sat across the table from Lorri, listening and observing, I felt the urge to expand my job description to profiler/matchmaker: SF/SW with brains, brawn and bicycle deserving of SM smart enough to consider the possibilities.

Note: Lorri helped greatly with the "clean-up" of this piece, filling in the details I needed and editing my awkward sentences. The thoughts and admiration are mine, but the more reader-friendly presentation is the result of her skill. Thanks Lorri!