James Odom - My Student

JEMonline

Dr. Frank B. Wyatt

I describe James Odom as a soft-spoken intellectual. He wasn’t shy…but soft spoken. He spoke out often in class as it was often that only James had the answer to the question I posed. But I saw other aspects of James outside the classroom.

In the weight room I once observed him training for his Olympic lifts (Snatch, Clean & Jerk). If he didn’t do the right technique or had too much weight on to complete a successful lift, he would express a competitive anger at himself for not successfully completing the lift. He was meticulous. In his final piece of academic work, he was doing what is referred to as a meta-analysis on a topic he was highly interested in-recovery.

I saw someone diligently and steadfastly work to complete this work. This was the piece he was going to present at Texas A & M Corpus as his final work for his Master’s degree there. The last copy I received from him was early July before I left for London. I commended him on a well- written paper and that we would submit this paper in the Fall upon our return to classes at Midwestern State University.

Upon James passing, I immediately contacted an editor of a peer-reviewed journal for submission of James work. James Odom will be first author of a scientific publication in the October issue of the Journal of Exercise Medicine online.

I don’t trust my house or dog to just anyone. So when we (my family and I) leave on a trip, I will ask ONLY students that I trust to watch the house and dog. James did this for me while my wife and daughter visited me in London during my Study Abroad class. I trusted James.

I often say “I love all of my students”. But for James, it was a bit different. I think it was because I really liked his demeanor and was cognizant of his high intellect. I liked talking Exercise Physiology with James. I enjoyed talking about life and his future as well.

I will miss this young man tremendously. I am at a loss to understand the “why” of this tragedy. For me, there is no explanation. It is a reminder of the precious moments in life and how someone can be here one moment and gone in an instant.

Therefore, I will pledge to honor James Odom by striving to live each moment as fully as I can for the rest of my life. I will miss you James. My heart will remind me of how fortunate I was to have you cross my path.