James Thomas Westmoreland III

August 16, 1951 – July 19, 2024

Jim was born in Tchula, Mississippi, a very small town with a population of 2000 in central Mississippi.  Jim’s father died of multiple sclerosis, a devastating long-term auto-immune disease,  when he was seven years old.   His family, including his Mom, who taught school, and his sister and two brothers moved to Austell, Georgia, a suburb of Atlanta, when Jim was eleven years of age.

Jim worked his way through college during the 1970s doing various jobs; but mainly, as a social worker/counselor.  His multitudes of career experience includes working: at the Georgia Retardation Center, now called the Institute on Human Development and Disability; Georgia Mental Health Institute; Synthesis West Treatment Center and North DeKalb Mental Health/Mental Retardation.  He graduated from Georgia State with a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology in December, 1981.  He now had the education to go with his experience to be the best version of his empathetic self to counsel and help those less fortunate.

Jim has cousins in Santa Fe, New Mexico.  He moved to Santa Fe in 1988, for a change in his life.  When Jim arrived, his first job was with the State of New Mexico, working as a social worker.  After two years, he switched employment to work at St. Vincent’s Hospital as a counselor.  While working at the hospital, Jim studied nursing at the Santa Fe Community College.  He graduated with an Associates Degree in Nursing in 1996.  He switched positions to become a registered nurse at the hospital.  Again, while working at the hospital, Jim studied within the nursing program at the University of Phoenix, in Albuquerque.  He graduated with a Master of Science in Nursing in 2000. 

Jim worked various jobs after graduation.  Jim first worked at the Department of Health Sequoyah Adolescent Treatment Center during the night shift.  After not getting enough sleep, he worked in Santa Rosa as a contract nurse.  After having a really long commute every day, he worked within the UNM University Hospital network – Mental Health Center as a psychiatric nurse and Children’s Psychiatric Center as a charge nurse.  After working really long hours, Jim came back to Santa Fe to work.  In 2003, he worked for the New Mexico School for the Deaf.  In 2005, he worked for the Children, Youth & Family Department as a social worker.  Then worked with the Adult Protective Services in two capacities as a social worker investigator.

Jim retired from the State of New Mexico at the end of May 2014.  However, his education and learning did not stop there.  In 2017, he graduated with a Certificate in Community Health from the Santa Fe Community College. In 2018 and onward, Jim took courses that interested him: Solar Technology and Installation, Engineering Concepts, Electrical Technology, Learning Python computer language, Greenhouse Gardening, Hydroponics, Aquaponics and Red Cross Lifeguard training.

In addition to his extensive education and work history, Jim loved to travel and was an avid runner.  He ran and placed in competitive 5k, 10k, ½ marathon and marathon races for three decades.  His favorite race was the 12-mile Big Tesuque Trail Run within the Santa Fe National Forest taking place during the fall.