Dear friends,
This July, we bid farewell to one of the most important members of our GoodLife family – Dr. James Sherman.
It is impossible to adequately describe the impact and influence of his contributions not only to our organization but to the entire field of Applied Behavioral Science.
In 1977, while working at the University of Kansas Dr. Sherman and his wife Dr. Jan Sheldon were approached by a group of parents who wanted a different life for their children with disabilities. They shared an audacious at-the-time dream of taking their loved ones out of the confines of institutions so they could thrive within the community, living a rich, independent and purposeful life.
Jim and Jan embraced their vision, gave their dream the necessary logistics, and helped create a paradigm-shifting, non-profit organization. This was the birth of GoodLife Innovations (formerly CLO).
Dr. Sherman was not only a founding father of our organization but also an active participant in shaping its philosophy, day-to-day operations, guiding principles, programs and initiatives. In fact, his devotion to our mission was so deep that his legacy and the history of GoodLife Innovations are impossible to disentangle. Jim Sherman served tirelessly as a leader, consultant, and advocate, bridging the gap between two centuries, elevating minds and changing attitudes. He gave our organization forty invaluable years, including two decades as President and Chair of our Board of Directors.
He was the academic engine behind several of GoodLife’s service models and, as a professor at the University of Kansas, mentored many of the organization’s foundational leaders, including our CEO, Dr. Michael Strouse.
As one of the most influential minds in the field of behavioral sciences, Dr. Sherman has received many accolades and distinctions throughout the years. He was a professor at KU for 53 years and served as Chair of the department of Applied Behavioral Sciences for a quarter of a century. He has authored or co-authored countless peer-reviewed articles, book chapters, and scientific publications. His lectures, peppered with humor, unorthodox analogies, and magniloquent use of language were legendary. Accordingly, he was honored with multiple academic awards by the University of Kansas and nationally.
And yet, he always considered GoodLife his biggest professional and personal accomplishment. To Jim, his service to men, women, and children with developmental disabilities superseded everything else.
…people need durable dance partners in life – not just people with disabilities. All people. Dance partners who know them, appreciate them, and are willing to dance with them through the joys and tribulations of life. This family, Ivo – they are durable dance partners. It is such a beautiful dance to watch….
Jim Sherman
Analytical approach and careful interrogation of hard data are instrumental to science, but Dr. Sherman was also known for his emotional intelligence. He valued kindness, empathy, and compassion, and it is no coincidence that one of his biggest contributions was to the behavioral benefits of positive reinforcement.
Many years ago, I took Dr. Sherman on a tour of a Family Teaching Home. This was one of the first implementations of the new model. He spent over two hours with the family, clearly moved by their passion and the strength of their bond with the three men with disabilities living in the home. After we left, Jim insisted on taking a short walk around the neighborhood. “This is it!” said Jim. “All the work and all the effort were worth it. This is more valuable than a Ph.D. – more valuable than an award.
My friend, Dr. Todd Risley, used to say that people need durable dance partners in life – not just people with disabilities. All people. Dance partners who know them, appreciate them, and are willing to dance with them through the joys and tribulations of life. This family, Ivo – they are durable dance partners. It is such a beautiful dance to watch…. What a privilege!”
I remember this conversation as if it was yesterday. Just as I remember that Dr. Sherman clearly had tears in his eyes – tears of happiness.
Looking back, it is hard not to marvel at all of Jim Sherman’s accomplishments. His life reads like a fictional novel. He grew up in the rural Pacific Northwest while his father fought in World War II and the Korean War. He was an elite athlete, playing both football and baseball in college. He served in the ROTC, unlocked the doors of language for non-verbal adults and kids teaching them to speak for the very first time, joined the army at a time of war, developed a program that helped American soldiers learn Vietnamese, trained pigeons to guide missiles, gave lectures all over the country, formed functional alliances with some of the greatest academic minds in his field, created an early behavioral intervention program for children with autism, and helped countless people avoid permanent institutionalization.
To me personally, Dr. Sherman was also a great friend. I could listen to him for hours as his boundless knowledge could take the conversation in multiple directions: from nanotechnologies, through basketball, to the policies of Robert Mugabe. Jim took up soccer in his thirties and played well into his seventies. Soccer is a young man’s game; yet, just like with everything else, he excelled in it through hard work and meticulous attention to detail. His athletic acumen was undeniable, and he quickly became an indelible fixture of the local soccer community. For years, we played together on a legendary Lawrence adult league team called the “Ancients.” He was by far the oldest in the league, and the rest of the players couldn’t stop marveling at his skills and agility. One of our teammates once asked him, “How do you do it?” Jim answered, “Well, the truth is – no matter how much I try, I can never really remember I’m not a kid. Some of us grow old – others are forever kids.”
I remember when we lost the Sunflower Games by one goal after a furious final game on a 100-degree July afternoon.
We were all devastated, but not our team captain, Jim. He came to the bench and told us, “Guys, keep your heads up. We didn’t lose. It’s just that the clock ran out right before our win.” Later, I found out that this was his favorite saying – a mantra he learned from his Pomona College football coach, Chuck Mills.
James Anthony Sherman was so many things: a great mind, a teacher, a scholar, an advocate, a true influencer, a great orator, a captivating storyteller, an athlete, an amazing father and grandfather, a leader, a writer, a warrior, a beacon, a friend, an ageless kid, but most of all, he was a durable dance partner to so many people.
And when Alzheimer’s came and tried to steal the light of Jim’s last years, it learned a valuable lesson. Sometimes even an incurable disease is powerless. For when it runs into a durable dance partner and tries to steal his memories, it will find out that the theft means nothing when the memory of him is destined to live forever. See, sooner or later, Jim always wins – it’s just that sometimes the clock runs out. And then you realize that this particular game was not really a game – it was – a dance. And what a beautiful dance it was to watch. What a privilege!
Farewell, Dr. Sherman! We at GoodLife will always love you and promise to keep dancing!
