JIM OWENS: Some information today on former hilltopper Jim Owens
who played professional baseball.

First and most important, Jim is alive and well. In fact,
according to Jack Gorton, “He is still a cool guy.” Jim and his
brother Tom come home every year to attend the Hilltop reunion at
the Cyclone firehall, he adds.

Tom McAndrew in Tampa, Fla., writes, “Jim Owens and I were
friends and played basketball together in the YMCA league in ’51
and ’52. The last time I saw him he was the pitching coach for the
Astros in 1969 residing in Houston.”

Curly Walters tells us he remembers Jim Owens – and brother Tom
and sister Betty – quite well as he used to live right next door to
the family. All three are in good health, he adds. Currently, Jim
lives in Houston.

We also had a note from Dick Danielson of Mount Jewett who
writes, “I recall Jim, Dan Ekas Sr. who was from Cyclone, Gifford,
Rew, or another section of the ‘Hill,’ as it was so respectfully
called, as several good athletes grew up here.”

Dick adds, “At the time, Mount Jewett and other area small
communities had teams consisting of athletes from around our area.
Owens, Ekas, Norm Thompson (Kane) just to name a few. Here they
played their games in the still-present Mount Jewett gym where I
had gone to school and admired the presence of several area
athletes.”

“It would be noteworthy for others to respond to this plea
regarding Jim Owens and for other outstanding athletes of this era,
the 1940s, ’50s, and even the ’60s.

“I know that with my knowledge of athletics at that time would
expose many: Jerry Persichini, Jack Randolph, Hal Hanson, Mike
Manning, Fran Gleason, Bill O’Connell of Bradford; Tom Thompson,
Jim Smart, Bill McDade, Chuck and Bud Daly of Kane; Bill and Dean
Goodwill, Butch Stilson, Denny Maynard, Bill Rote, Jim Smith and
Jim Acker of Smethport; Bob Paul, Gary Smith, Bud and Bill Carl,
Butch Alexis, Hash Larson, Harlan Danielson of Mount Jewett … the
list goes on. It would be honorable if some of these and/or others
would be acknowledged.”