Jim 80

Professor James Steakley in Freiburg at the reception for the students of the AYF 2010/11,
together with Dr. Renate Schulz-Weiling of the Freiburg-Madison-Gesellschaft

Today, Professor Emeritus James (Jim) D. Steakley is celebrating a milestone birthday. He is turning 80.

Jim at the Freiburg Partnerschaftsmarkt 2010.
He is welcomed by his students, Sabine and Kat, at the Freiburg-Madison stand (©RT).

Jim was and remains a strong supporter of the city partnership between Freiburg and Madison.

What Jim liked best. Among his students, with a glass of wine.
Read more.

He served twice as Resident Director of the Academic Year in Freiburg (AYF) and, in this capacity, was not only his students' teacher but a frequent comforter of their souls, too.

I admired Jim as he spoke perfect German with a slight, and therefore charming, American accent. I never caught him making a mistake. Among other places, Jim had studied Goethe's idiom behind the Iron Curtain at Humboldt University in Berlin.

When I moved back to Freiburg after 32 years at CERN, I didn't want to lose my French and English language skills, so I joined the Deutsch-Französische Gesellschaft and the Freiburg-Madison-Gesellschaft. Unfortunately, they all spoke German.

In 2010, I started writing blogs as a diary, and that's when I realized how much my English needed improvement. Jim became my mentor. He patiently worked to improve the expression and form of my blogs. Thank you, Jim, for helping me learn English.
That reminds me of an episode concerning my French.

Dear Jim, stay with us for a long time to come and visit us soon in Freiburg so that I can invite you to a festive dinner.

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