Say hello to James Darling!

“I was born July 7, 1940, in Carmel, California. I was raised in Monterey and graduated from Monterey High School in 1958. After a tour of several colleges, I finally finished at San Jose State. After sending out over sixty job applications, it came down to two districts for a job in Ventura, or Compton. Easy decision. I put in thirty-five years of teaching Physical Education and Mathematics, coaching eight different sports and spent several years working as a principal and a vice principal within the district. My favorite saying is in my 35 years, I affected over 8000 kids, hopefully for the better.

“Almost 35 years ago I lost my right leg to cancer. Overcoming this was the biggest battle of my life. Having been an athlete my whole life, I used these skills to move forward. I started swimming five days a week, joined an amputee golf association, shooting an 84 was my highlight. Loving the outdoors, I continued catching trout, harvesting deer and elk and snow skiing on my one leg. I even did disabled triathlons a couple of times. I also bragged I was one of the best one-legged cooks in California.

“My leisure time is spent playing my piano, enjoying music, especially doo-wop oldies from the 50’s. I write poetry and short stories and thrive on being in nature from Big Sur to the high Sierra’s which are places I can sit and watch streams, sunsets, redwoods, and coastal waves. These are my happy places. Thank you to those of you who have welcomed me and made my early days a comfortable time.”