For the last five years, as you have read the articles in your weekly OHIO newsletters, you have clicked on headlines and consumed stories celebrating your University and written by Media Relations Manager Jim Sabin (BSJ ‘95) and the team he managed. Today, we honor his well-lived life, which came to an untimely end on Friday, January 27, following a two-year battle with cancer.
Jim will be remembered for his inspirational and infectious optimism, his tireless work ethic, his spirit of collaboration and kindness, and his deep love for words and for baseball. These were truisms about Jim that did not change in the face of a life-changing diagnosis. In the last two years, Jim made extra time for and took more trips with his wife Lucy and sons Christopher and Alex, but he also never stopped working. During this period, Jim also found the time to continue learning, and he completed a graduate certificate in crisis communications through the Scripps College of Communication last December.
Many who worked closely with him expressed their shock when he shared the news that he had run out of options and made the decision to stop treatment. That was only two days before his last. He fought to the very end.
“I was not aware of his cancer; I watched him engage on campus with me and others as if nothing was wrong. He was just bravely doing his work,” said Shawna Wolfe, Associate Vice President of University Planning for OHIO. “Jim was awesome to work with. He has done so much to tell positive stories for so many things. He always gracefully accepted edits and was thoughtful about approaches.”
Jim continued this work even from his hospital bed in his final weeks, editing stories for the Spring edition of OHIO Today magazine and corresponding with staff members and student workers eager for his input on various projects.
As a member of the OHIO Critical Incident Response Team and a key contact for emergency communications, Jim rose early and stayed up late whenever needed to ensure the University community received timely news about everything from winter weather closures to facility emergencies to crime incidents. A newsman through and through, with decades of experience as a reporter and editor, he handled this critical role with constant calm.
“He always provided a voice of reason in the room during an emergency and made us take a minute to ensure we were all on board with the message,” said Jill Harris, director of Emergency Services. “I always found Jim to be professional, guiding, and above all a friendly voice and smile in a room when sometimes there were none.”
He was a patient and proud mentor of his staff and student employees, and he worked with and coached countless student reporters over the years. Coworkers who worked for or around Jim throughout his career consistently spoke of him as a compassionate colleague and a great coach. (Read more about his early career in this article from the Lancaster Eagle-Gazette.)
Carly Leatherwood, interim Chief of Staff to the President, hired Jim when she was working for UCM. “Jim was a kind and generous leader. He saw the best in everyone and wanted to help them reach their greatest potential,” she said. “He had a unique mentorship style that included active listening, honest and constructive feedback, and of course, humor. We are all better for having known him.”
Media Relations Specialist Samantha Pelham, who worked alongside Jim throughout his time at OHIO, shared that his mentorship and guidance have made a lasting impact on her, both personally and professionally.
“Not always do you find a friend and support system in a colleague, but that is just what Jim was to so many people who worked with him, including myself,” Pelham said. “Jim was an incredible mentor, always encouraging those he worked with to think smarter and more creatively, while always being supportive and having their backs in challenging times. His love for his family, baseball, and storytelling was apparent in every conversation with him and his positivity and optimism, especially over the last two years, was infectious. His impact expands far beyond words on a page, but to everyone who had the privilege of knowing him.”
However, no coaching assignment was more important to Jim than that of baseball coach to his eight-year-old son Alex. Jim loved the sport and was thrilled to discover that Alex not only shared his passion but also had a natural talent on the field. Even as he endured treatment that drained his energy, Jim continued to volunteer as a coach, winning Coach of the Year for the Canal Winchester Joint Recreation District in his last fall season.
Jim loved to talk baseball, from little league to major league. He loved his wife Lucy and his two sons – always crediting them for the joy with which he went about life. He loved Ohio University, for being both the beginning and end of his career, first as a student and later as a writer and manager. He loved his work and those he shared it with. The day before his death he said it this way – “It’s not just a job, and it hasn’t been for a long time. It’s a family.”
Jim was a storyteller, and he shared the story of his cancer battle openly. Early on the morning before his passing, he shared on Facebook that he was nearing the end. He knew it would be his final story, and it seems appropriate to end this tribute not with our last words but with his: “I love and miss you all,” he wrote. “Thank you for your endless support and love that you have all shown me through this. Thank you, and see you on the other side.”
Family, friends and loved ones are invited to come together to celebrate the life of Jim Sabin on Tuesday, February 7 at the Dwayne R. Spence Funeral Home in Canal Winchester. Calling hours will take place between 12 p.m. and 2 p.m., and a funeral service will be held at 2 p.m.