Gathering Places
Gathering Places
Editor's note: Jimi Jolley, a resident of Texas, died last week while on a trip to Thailand. Aloha to king
of the playgroundAT MY RIPE AGE of 40-something, I've come to realize that the people I admire most are those who are original. They approach their lives with a unique vision and lifestyle, sometimes unconventional, that are based on deep-set morals and beliefs that they arrived at on their own and are firmly committed to. It's a kind of purity, borne of a refusal to accept superficial values, from which springs energy and enthusiasm in living. Jimi Jolley was just one of those kind of people.
I first met Jimi in 1996 when he came to town and, like the "Music Man," shared a new concept for playground development with anyone he could. After I had walked into his presentation to parents at Kailua's Sunshine School preschool a bit late, literally in minutes I was taken by his energy, spirit and unique accomplishments. I was sold, and "signed up" immediately to help out.
Jimi had that kind of effect on people -- which partly explains how he was able to guide the construction of so many playgrounds in our community in a short period of time. It was clear that Jimi was blazing a trail with a keen insight as to what kids really want, and need, when it comes to playgrounds. His concept was "learning by playing" as he was firmly committed to the belief that outdoor play has as much potential for teaching kids important skills -- such as creativity, teamwork and meeting challenges -- as indoor classroom work. His playgrounds were affordable and doable, built with volunteer labor and using recycled materials, making one possible in nearly any community that wanted one.
MY HUSBAND and I were part of the construction of the Sunshine School playgrounds, and then I spearheaded a project at Bishop Museum to build a "Jimi Jolley" playground under his direction. Now my daughter enjoys the one at Aikahi Elementary School where hundreds of kids play each week.
One only has to watch the excitement and imagination of kids on these grounds to know that his concept worked. It became clear to me during one of the many times that Jimi returned to check on his playground and say hello to the kids. My daughter, 3 years old at the time, excitedly called him over ("Look, Jimi, look!") to watch her pull herself across several rungs of a horizontal ladder. When she successfully reached the other side, Jimi rang out with praise, to which my daughter proudly exclaimed, "I couldn't do that when I was little!"
Jimi knew how to get kids excited. They liked him, probably because they could tell that he liked them immensely. Maybe they could just tell that he was a kid at heart. It was his sweet heart that I liked most of all.
I'll always appreciate Jimi for his spirit, and for what he contributed to our community. He gave parents the opportunity to get involved in their kids' lives and taught us some new skills as well (jackhammers, circular saws...). I remember a heartfelt letter that one set of parents wrote after helping in the construction and realizing how special this family activity had been.
I'm glad there is a constant reminder of Jimi as I watch kids joyfully playing, all the while learning and developing in their beautiful, unique ways. Jimi, here's to you. We'll miss you.
Kay Fullerton is a Kailua resident.