After almost forty total years, beloved Woodshop Supervisor Jim Hume will be retiring from the Smith College Art Department. Jim started working at Smith in the early seventies as the Cabinet Foreman in Smith’s cabinetry shop. When the shop was closed in the late eighties, Jim left the College, but returned in 1998 as the Art Department’s Woodshop Supervisor, and has been helping students develop their woodworking skills for the last twenty-two years.
Jim traveled across the Mediterranean in the Navy, has since traveled to China, and likes to say he’s made it to both sides of the world. Jim has driven to Alaska during his time at Smith, and would like to continue travelling, but the current condition of the world has that plan on hold. Jim looks forward to more opportunities for travel in 2021.
When asked about his best memory at Smith, Jim mentioned the year Smith students nominated him for the Gavel Award, which he received at the 2010 Rally Day. If it wasn’t for the students, Jim said, he would not have stayed as long as he has. He is still in contact with a Smithie from the class of ‘85, who calls him every Commencement Day. Another alumna always calls him on the birthday they both share. It’s the students who keep him young, and who he’ll miss the most.