James Scott Shore – ’69-’09
4-22-1969 to 10-08-2009
James Scott Shore was born to Jane and Richard “Dick” Shore, Sr in Milwaukee, WI, 1969. He was the 3rd of four children. He grew up in Elm Grove, WI, a mile or so away from SunAnt Interactive’s current offices. James was an avid reader from a very young age, an accomplished soccer player, an excellent student. I met James in 7th Grade at Brookfield Academy (then, Academy of Basic Education). I did one short year at the Academy, but James and I remained best friends for the remainder of his days.
In 1985-86, we once again attended school together. This time at St. John’s Preparatory school in Collegeville, MN. In a pattern that had become familiar, I left St. John’s after completing that school year. James stayed on, graduating with the Class of 1987.
From there, my recollection of James’s biography becomes a bit fuzzy. I know he studied for some semesters at St. Thomas in the Twin Cities. And then he started to travel – a lot. Primarily Central and South America. James’s love of Latin American History and culture made backpacking and camping throughout Colombia, Panama, Costa Rica, etcetera, truly irresistible – especially in the wake of his brother Rick’s death. It was only shortly after Rick’s tragic demise, that James’s father Dick (an avid jogger and marathon runner) died unexpectedly as well. While James was no doubt heartbroken about losing the two men ahead of him in his family, his father and brother, he never did speak about it. It was one of the contradictions that was James. Though he was deeply spiritual and charitable, deep emotions did little to elicit much more than stoicism. James’s travel plans were cut short when after a night visiting the clubs in Milwaukee with some good friends, James’s car slipped on “black ice” and ran into a utility pole. James’s two passengers, John M and Kevin R, were unscathed. James ended up pinned in the car in 15 below temperatures until the fire and rescue crews could extract him. For his troubles, James spent the next months undergoing surgeries, including skin grafts, physical therapy, and the introduction of metal and pins and screws in his tibia. He was aided in his convalescence by Jane and James’s step dad, Tom Gripp. They were tireless in nursing him to recovery. Even so, James’s leg looked like he had been attacked by a Bull Shark (in my estimation). So, this is the story I would often relate to people who had no knowledge of his car crash, but noticed his damaged leg.
From there, the trail is lost to me. I was in Arizona doing my own stuff. And James was a hard one to keep tabs on. In any event, James ended up in Albuquerque, NM. And he was happiest there in the desert and the mountains. It was there he met Alyssa, his life’s love, while studying at the University of New Mexico (from which he would eventually earn a BS). Never had I seen James so happy as when I found myself traveling through NM and stopped by James and Alyssa’s “house.” Don’t get me wrong, it was a house. And it was a cool adobe-styled house. But it was just one part of a larger “compound” – which included a guest house, a couple converted school buses, more than a few fire pits, a dog, some cats, free range chickens, and a bunch of quasi-permanent human residents (nuevo hippies). It was like stepping back in time, I suppose, to 1968 – 69 – only replace the Marxists with a distinctly Libertarian crew. I remember that visit rather fondly, albeit vaguely. I remember the fire in the fire pit, the smell of patchouli, and deer hide hand drums of all shapes and sizes. It was an interesting time to visit James.
From there, James and I only communicated on-and-off — usually during the holidays when he might come home to visit his mom, dad, and family. He and Alyssa started having babies, as did Jennifer and I. So, I ended my 8-year career as a touring drummer… and quit all of the things that went with that (re not seeing my wife and kids for weeks at a time). I moved back from Phoenix and started a company with my brother Tim.
Three or four years later, I was working for a publicly-traded company which provided interactive solutions to the real estate industry. By then, James was knee-deep in his own interactive specialty: Search Marketing. So, when it came time, James moved his entire family back to Milwaukee — Alyssa and their three kids, cat, 3 vehicles (one or two of which he had converted to run on Greasel (french fry grease)). One of which is still in my backyard! It’s a pale VW Wagoneer or somesuch. Each Summer he would promise me and Jen that this Summer would be the Summer he would find a new home for it…
Working with James was great — and seeing him every day was also pretty cool. But what was the coolest of all was seeing him apply his incredible intellect and Search Marketing acumen. The results were stunning. And James was single-handedly responsible for starting the first SEM department the corporation had claim to.
But as with all travelers, James found corporate life a bit too… restrictive. So, he packed his bags and Move d on to greener pastures. And took a couple blue chip clients with him. That marked a new chapter for both James and me.
more to follow…
