WorldWide Drilling Resource

WorldWide Drilling Resource ® 15 FEBRUARY 2015 Tribute to a Friend by Ray McLarty Some time in the early 1990s, my youngest son (now 35) was a teenager. He and I were playing a round of golf while attending the Georgia Water Well Convention. Being one of only a few twosomes on the course, we were con- stantly waiting to play through foursomes. On the start of the back nine, we came upon another twosome. One of the golfers, described by my son as a really nice fellow, invited us to join them. I knew the golfer who invited us to join them (Jim), having seen him over the years at several trade shows and/or conven- tions. We gladly joined them, and over the next 20 plus years he and I became very good friends. Even though there were times when we actually were in competition with each other (some of the companies he worked for handled a competitive line to the product line I was representing), as I said, we remained good friends and it was always a pleasure to see him at conventions, trade shows, supplier open houses, etc. In 2010, Wholesale Pump (WPS) out of Louisiana opened a supply house in Olive Branch, Mississippi. They offered Jim a position as outside salesman, and they were very fortunate he accepted and immediately began bringing his customers of many years. I lived in Olive Branch and had a relationship with WPS which dated back many years with their branches in Shreveport, Tickfaw, and Jennings, Louisiana. So over the past three years, Jim and I have worked together, made calls for and with each other, and shared many a cup of coffee at the WPS office in Olive Branch. James Laymon “Jim” El l iott, Jr. passed away Wednesday, November 26, 2014. Joe Bernardini, manager of WPS Olive Branch called me with the news. Jim had been in poor health for awhile and in fact took a medical leave from work earlier in the year. It was a sad day for me when I got Joe’s call, and I could tell it was for him too. Jim was an extremely knowledgeable pump and water well supply salesman and con- sultant. He had numerous friends and customers in the industry. He was well liked by the drilling crews, and all of his peers. I don’t think I ever heard anyone say a bad thing about him, and I never heard Jim so much as raise his voice to anyone all the years I knew him. In my eyes, Jim was a relatively young man. He was 71 years old on May 14, 2014, his last birthday. At his death, Jim and his wife Linda had been married 53 years. During his 40+ years in the industry, he worked for several companies in the groundwater/drilling industries. Linda told me he constantly had job offers and enticements over the years from companies trying to get Jim to work for them. Carloss Well Supply formerly in Memphis, Tennessee; Fairbanks and Morse; National Pump Company in Olive Branch, Mississippi; and most recently Wholesale Pump & Supply also in Olive Branch, Mississippi, are the employers I am most familiar with that Jim worked for. In addition to Linda, Jim is survived by daughters Kelly Elliott of Memphis, Tennessee, and Kimberly Elliott Cohen of Albany, Georgia; son Ken Elliott and grandson Chase Elliott both of Bartlett, Tennessee. Jim was very active in the ground- water industry as a consultant, speaker, and presenter. He was also actively involved with the Jaycees. Rest in peace, Jim Elliott. You left us much too soon, and it was a great pleasure to have known and worked with you the short time we had. Ray Ray McLarty may be contacted via e-mail at michele@ worldwidedrillingresource.com WWDR photo of Jim taken during the 2013 Tennessee Water Well Assoc. Conference. "0",-" - 0 &' '" "0",-" - 0 &' '" &) (*-. -&2"- )! &) (*-. )/( ", *# ' !"- "1 -"! &.- *'" +")",- , $ &.- &)$- ((",- ((", &.- &0",.",- " .&++&)$ . &'&2",- ' 1 &.- &+" &+"- *'. *) "".% / - * &'" &. *&) ,*! %*.( &' *( 111 &. *&) /-