Heern-Maez Memorial Scholarship Fund

For 30 years, Jim worked as a public high school teacher. He attended Utah State and University of Utah where he majored in Agricultural Science because he believed that no child should go to bed hungry. He taught agriculture, welding, earth science and strength training. He built a very successful livestock and FFA program with his students who won many local, regional and national awards. They built a large greenhouse and he taught them to grow plants, keep bees and raise fish just as he originally set out to do. He oversaw his students in developing a plant cloning lab, one of only two in the state of Oregon. Students asked him to coach a mountain bike team that won the state championship twice. He taught himself how to do these things through books, consulting others, magazines, and site visits. One of his greatest qualities was his never-ending thirst for knowledge. He would learn from anyone, no matter their age or background. He loved to share that knowledge and passion that he developed over the years.

When Jim was 16, a Latino family by the last name of Maez took him into their home. The love and hospitality that they showed him began to change his attitude toward people of other races. From that point forward, he strived toward racial unity and eliminating prejudice from his heart. With their help, he barely graduated high school with a 1.9 GPA. His teachers said he’d never go anywhere in life except to The Point of the Mountain - a reference to the Utah State Prison. Despite them, he decided to go to college, inspired by Thoreau who quoted Socrates in his book Walden when he said, “The unexamined life is not worth living.” He met his wife Bobette in a sociology class at night. He lived 4 miles from campus and was walking in the snow wearing only leather moccasins so she offered him a ride. By her invitation and the sociology teacher named Dr. Mahmoudi and his wife, Badri, he was introduced to the Baha’i Faith. Their daughter Homa, who worked at U of U, was able to obtain a 4 year scholarship which allowed him to complete his bachelor’s degree.

His Faith was always an integral part of who he was. We don’t claim to know what’s in his heart, but from the outside, it’s clear that he embodied the Baha’i ideal which describes work as a form of worship. He was never a fan of long prayer or meditation sessions. One of his favorite sayings was, “I’d rather be in the mountains thinking about God than in church thinking about the mountains.” He preferred to express his Faith through action. One of his last acts of service, on the day he went into the hospital, was to fix up an old bike for a young family friend who needed transportation.

Many of his former students became successful, not only in agriculture, but also as underwater welders, teachers, flight school owners, Ag Business workers and photographers. He was a firm disciplinarian for sure, but if you were there to work and learn, you could pursue whatever interested you in his classes.

The scholarship money will be used each year to support one or more high school students in Albany and Cave Junction, Oregon. To honor the Maez family’s contribution to Jim’s life, special consideration will be given to Latino or other racially diverse students who are interested in entering the fields of agriculture, education or one of the trades. Special consideration will also be given to those students who have experienced, or are experiencing special circumstances or hardships at home as well as those who display a commitment to serving others in their school, community or home. Jim’s immediate family will choose each year’s recipient(s) and every penny donated will go to those students except the 2.9% fee taken by Go Fund Me in exchange for using their platform.

-Above photo is a selfie taken by Jim when he first got into photography