And You Don't Mess Around With Jim!

       Jim Croce  had a big hit with the song
"You don't mess around with Jim."
      But it was sweet music to some folks
in our area when a  "Chief," who isn't a
native American, echoed those words
yesterday.
     I refer to "Chief Judge" Theodore McKee
of the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals who
said it would be "patently absurd" to disinter
the remains of the great Olympic athelete
Jim Thorpe and move them to Oklahoma.
    When he died in 1953, Thorpe's third
wife, Patricia, entered into an agreement
with what were the towns of Mauch Chunk
and East Mauch Chunk, to have Thorpe
interred there even though he had never
actually been to the area. In return, the
towns legally changed their name to Jim
Thorpe.
     Recently the Federal Court in Scranton
sided with the children of Thorpe's second wife
who wanted his body dug up and moved to
Indian territory in Oklahoma.
     Jim Thorpe had three wives during his
life. Descendants of his first are content to
have the remains...remain where they are.
Two out of his three families are OK with
Jim Thorpe staying in Jim Thorpe!
    This latest court ruling is good with that
too.  So am I!
     The community has become a major
area tourist destination and many of
those tourists stop to pay tribute to the
man the King of Sweden called "the
greatest athlete in the world."
      His monument has become the
recognized shrine to the man and his
achievements!
     The lawsuit made it the center of
the country's latest Indian war. Thanks
to yesterday's court decision it looks
like the community won the battle!
    And, by the way, isn't this resting place
about as "native American" as you can get?
The original name, Mac Chunk, was
derived from the term "bear mountain" in the
language of the native Lenape people!
     As Jim Croce sang...."You don't mess
around with Jim."
     Hope Jim Thorpe stays in Jim Thorpe and
that all your NEWS is good!

   













Jim Thorpe