b'He had a deep thirst for knowledge, with interest in all peoples of the world, which led him to seek contracts far beyond the confines of the United States.Jim made friends in many nations and it is these friends that made ABC tours so memorable to participants.Such was the group, composed of European contractors waiting in vain in San Francisco for Jim. Jim enjoyed speaking, and never turned down an opportunity to address an audience.It is not possible to list all the countries where he has spoken, but a partial list includes the International Building Trade Conventions in the United States, Canada, Luxembourg, England, Germany and Austria, and he took part in the World Housing Conference in Jerusalem in 1964.He spoke English only, but liked to memorize at lease one sentence in the language of that country.His German friends always had a smile for this sentence, Ich learne Deutsch Langsam.Ich fergesse Deutsch schnell.Translation: I learn German slowly.I forget German quickly. During World War II, Jim had the opportunity of serving on President Roosevelts Construction Advisory Council, and also was a member of the U.S. Labor Departments, Federal Apprenticeship committee.Currently, he was a member and active participant of both the Building Research Institute and of the American Society for Testing Materials, as well as a large number of city, and community groups, and state and national organizations. Jim was never one to evade responsibilities or duties.Active in the Civil Rights movement, he took part in the March on Washington, and believing that crime stems from unemployment and that a major portion of unemployment stems from lack of employable skills, he volunteered his services on a part time basis to the Chicago School Board to teach in Vocational Training Classes.He once taught in the New York Public School system and had the now famous, Vince Edwards, in one of his classes.He often remarked how strange it seemed to hear medical terms and firm language issuing from the mouth of Dr. Ben Casey, when he could remember the quiet shy boy in his classes. In the late 50s Jim, frustrated by local community problems in a changing neighborhood, decided he could best serve his neighbors by representing them as their 29th Ward Alderman and entered into a brief political campaign for that office.Endorsed by both the Independent Voters of Illinois and the Sun-Times newspaper, he received a great deal of publicity and a substantial portion of the votes cast, but unfortunately, his opponent was too well established for a new-comer to unseat.He tried again, but his petitions were disallowed by the City Election Board. Angered by what he considered injustice, he organized a group known as COCA J:\\ASSOC\\MRCA\\Living History\\1969\\The Measure of A Life-McCawley Bio.doc'