Sunday, April 24, 2022
Of all the friends and colleagues I have known and worked with at Jesuit, N.J. Is the one with whom I was closest. My memory is of a man who was constantly “checking up on me” making sure I was ok. Caring and generosity seemed to flow from N.J. as water from a spring. Both of us loved to eat, so many a chicken fried steak and Chinese buffet was shared over the years. During the summer along with Dennis Kana, NJ and I would head to Huntsville in search of bbq at a Baptist church made famous in an article in the Houston Chronicle. It was all you could eat for seven or eight bucks at first….over the years it rose to twenty! It was a middle-age man’s adventure…a road trip plus good food. Most of all the conversation, jokes and friendship inspired these trips. Both of us taught American History so that was always one of our main topics of conversation. I could go on forever but I want to express my deep sorrow at NJ’s passing and thank Pati and the family for sharing their husband and father with me. I cannot imagine a better friend.
Jim Gilbert
