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Jim was adopted as an infant by Dr. James B. and Marion Nay, who loved him unconditionally. Adoption was a theme in his life, as many pets adopted him over the years. He adopted a couple of dogs, but a couple of dogs and several cats found their way to him and stayed until time took them.
He was a highly creative person who exuded talent. As a child, he and his cousins created home movies at Ninemile Canyon. He taught himself to play the guitar at 14 and was the lead guitarist and vocalist in two bands: The Preachers and Juggernaut. He played solo gigs until the mid-2010s. He attended Phillips University, where he took painting classes. He served in the National Guard for six years and received a Certificate of Commendation in recognition of Outstanding Achievement in 1970.
He opened a photography studio on West Oak that doubled as a rehearsal space, but it was destroyed in the flood of 1973. He briefly moved to Dallas, where he did commercial photography for Neiman Marcus. He moved back to Enid and opened a new studio on North Washington, using that space until the mid-aughts. Here, he created "Golfballs in Space," which was published in Sports Illustrated. This phenomenal image was created using only one golf ball before the Knolls even dreamed of Photoshop. He never went digital, always using film as his medium. His passion was black and white photography, but some of his color pics would be used on Enid's phone book covers.
In the '80s, he wrote a poem that was published in Cosmopolitan. In 1998, he wrote a screenplay called Urban Legends and made it into a movie. He was a producer for Pegasys, the Enid local access channel, until 2014.
He loved to work in his yard and considered himself a proficient ornithologist. He lived in the same house for 46 years, spending that time creating a forest so he would have less grass to mow. He loved to read and kept a book in every room of his house, so there would always be something to pick up when he sat down. He loved words and learning about their origins. When he started dating his second wife, Sue, he bought her a dictionary (it was less pretentious than it sounds). He was a sesquipedalian. In his honor, please open your dictionary for the definition.
He is survived by his daughter, Jasie Parsons, and grandson, Harper Parsons, of Tulsa, and his sister, Nancy Rooks, and nephews, Brad Rooks and Steven Rooks of Enid. He is preceded in death by his nephew, Christopher Rooks; his father, Dr. James B. Nay; his mother, Marion Nay; and his brother-in-law, Peter Rooks.
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