Letter - Jim Lehman led by example

Talk about it

To the editor:

Alexandria is known for its lakes, recreation, education and industry. The truly hidden secret of Alexandria is its people – the very best asset we have as a community! Jim Lehman Sr. was one of those community assets.

Jim and Barb moved to town many years ago, and our community was all the better for it. You couldn’t ask for a better representative, always a great attitude and always had a story about something or someone. I often wondered how many times Barb heard the same story.

Tom [Lehman, Jim and Barb’s son, who is a professional golfer] mentioned this fall he felt his dad would have been a good coach – tough but fair. I think that describes Jim to a tee. I never heard any of Jim’s stories about his football playing days. I didn’t hear Jim talk too much about himself or his accomplishments. You really didn’t have to look too far from the tree to see what kind of parents Jim and Barb were, their three sons have turned out all right. Jim would be the first to tell you being a parent is not easy.

One of our great traditions in Alexandria sports is our golf programs. At many schools golf is something you play if you don’t have anything else to do. In Alexandria, it’s an outright full contact sport. It’s tougher to make it through qualifying than it is to play in the meets against some other high school teams.

We are blessed with so many great families in this town, raising the bar and leading by example. Jim and Barb are only one of many families that played a part in creating opportunities for not only their own sons but many other kids in Alexandria. Jim was one of the many great supporters of golf in Alexandria.

Jim…we will miss you and your stories.

God bless you, Jim, Barb and the boys and their families. Thank you for coming to Alexandria and being a part of our community.

Bruce Hanstad

Alexandria, MN

Tags: bruce hanstad, jim lehman, opinion, letters, hanstad, lehman