RIP Oakland legend "Sweet" Jimmie
http://www.insidebayarea.com/oaklandtribune/localnews/ci_14376308
"Sweet" Jimmie Ward, Bay Area club owner, humanitarian, dead at 74
Memorial services for Jimmie Ward set for Thursday, funeral Friday
By Cecily Burt and Sean Maher
Oakland Tribune
"Sweet" Jimmie Ward was a big man whose friendship and Southern-style hospitality were legendary, and whose largesse and good word helped elect more than a few judges and politicians.
But, friends say, Jimmie Ward never forgot his blue-collar roots and he always opened his heart and wallet to help those who were down and out.
"He could dine with the president, and he could eat with the hobo," said longtime friend Eddie Dillard.
Ward, who died Feb. 5 at age 74, came to the Bay Area from Louisiana in 1955 and quickly got acquainted with the local bars and the ladies. He landed a gig as a bartender at the 4500 Club in 1961, and continued to tend bar at various clubs, even after going to work as a longshoreman. By 1969, he had opened his own place, the Lamppost on Telegraph Avenue.
He opened Sweet Jimmie's on 17th Street in 1982, and when that building was damaged in the Loma Prieta earthquake, he launched a large club called Jimmie's around the corner on San Pablo Avenue.
Ward was a master entertainer and he loved to show folks a good time, strolling through the scene in his trademark yachting cap. The venue quickly gained a reputation as a friendly nightspot where patrons young and old, dressy or casual could dance to oldies or reggae one night, check out a comedy routine the next, or work up enough nerve to get onstage and perform during a talent contest.
It was a place where good-natured rivalries and ribbing were honed while rubbing shoulders with fellow pigskin fans on football Sundays.
Ward was a joker, going so far as to hold a "wake" complete with red and gold painted casket carried by six pallbearers and a reverend standing by to deliver the eulogy when the San Francisco 49ers played the Dallas Cowboys (Ward's favorite) in the NFC title game in 1993. The fans who showed up for the barbecue and to watch the game, were "90 percent 49er faithful," Ward said, chuckling, to the Tribune at the time.
Ward also blazed new ground. Though a devoted drinker of Beefeaters gin (on the rocks, a son said), he launched an alcohol and smoke-free night every other Monday to suit his customers who loved to come to the club to dance and socialize but preferred not to be around people who were drinking.
Dillard, president of the Oakland Black Board of Trade and Commerce, was working for the city of Oakland when he met Ward. Ward had applied to the city for a business loan to open the Lamppost, and Dillard handled the details. The men became good friends and worked on many projects together over the years, from voter registration drives to toy giveaways and political events.
Dillard said that Ward cared deeply about Oakland and worked hard to boost the city and its residents, but his friend didn't toot his own horn.
"He was the catalyst behind getting Olympic boxer Andre Ward to help recruit volunteers for a voter-registration drive," Dillard said. "He wasn't just a club owner like people think he was. He was much more than that."
That voter registration effort resulted in 200 volunteers going door to door in every census tract in West Oakland, Dillard said. Ward also bought toys to give out to children at Christmas every year, served on the board of Cole School in West Oakland, and provided turkeys for needy families at Thanksgiving. A charitable organization he founded provided scholarships and dental and health care for disadvantaged youths.
"He was concerned about the quality of life for people, particularly African-American people," Dillard said. "You don't replace someone of that caliber, because he touched so many lives that didn't even know him. He was a kindhearted man who believed in sharing the gifts that God gave him."
Ward grew tired in recent years after troubles with city officials over security at Jimmie's led him to sell the club, thus giving up a lifelong passion that had been keeping him energized, said son David Ward.
"A month ago, he said to me, 'I'm tired, I'm ready to go,' " Ward said Wednesday. "Let me tell you. If he still had a club to run, if he was still in the mix making sure everybody was having a good time, he wouldn't be tired."
David Ward illustrated his point by recounting the legendary story from the early days of his father's bartending career when a jealous woman stabbed him in the chest. The blade missed his heart by a fraction of an inch, David Ward said.
"But he just bandaged it up. He stuck around and closed the club, and he didn't go to the hospital until after it was all closed up. That's how much that work meant to him."
It was while in the hospital for his wounds that Ward garnered his nickname, given him by doctors who "thanked sweet Jesus" for Ward's miraculous survival.
In the end, Ward's sons said, they took two lessons from their father as the most important.
"He always used to tell me, 'Take care of those who take care of you,' " David Ward said. "That, and he hated lies. You could get away with stealing from him before he'd forgive you for telling a lie."
Another of Ward's sons, the Rev. Steven Ward, said his father passed on a maxim he has carried his whole life.
"He believed in honesty in all things," the reverend said. "He told me, 'Your word is the only thing you can give, and keep.' "
Ward is survived by first cousin and mother figure Leola Johnson, wife Linda Ward, 13 children, 15 grandchildren, a great grandson and a host of nieces, nephews, other relatives and friends.
A memorial service for Ward, where members of the community are welcome to share their memories, will begin at 7 p.m. today at Good Hope Church, 5717 Foothill Blvd., Oakland. A public funeral Friday will follow at noon Friday in the same location.
http://www.insidebayarea.com/oaklandtribune/localnews/ci_14376308
"Sweet" Jimmie Ward, Bay Area club owner, humanitarian, dead at 74
Memorial services for Jimmie Ward set for Thursday, funeral Friday
By Cecily Burt and Sean Maher
Oakland Tribune
"Sweet" Jimmie Ward was a big man whose friendship and Southern-style hospitality were legendary, and whose largesse and good word helped elect more than a few judges and politicians.
But, friends say, Jimmie Ward never forgot his blue-collar roots and he always opened his heart and wallet to help those who were down and out.
"He could dine with the president, and he could eat with the hobo," said longtime friend Eddie Dillard.
Ward, who died Feb. 5 at age 74, came to the Bay Area from Louisiana in 1955 and quickly got acquainted with the local bars and the ladies. He landed a gig as a bartender at the 4500 Club in 1961, and continued to tend bar at various clubs, even after going to work as a longshoreman. By 1969, he had opened his own place, the Lamppost on Telegraph Avenue.
He opened Sweet Jimmie's on 17th Street in 1982, and when that building was damaged in the Loma Prieta earthquake, he launched a large club called Jimmie's around the corner on San Pablo Avenue.
Ward was a master entertainer and he loved to show folks a good time, strolling through the scene in his trademark yachting cap. The venue quickly gained a reputation as a friendly nightspot where patrons young and old, dressy or casual could dance to oldies or reggae one night, check out a comedy routine the next, or work up enough nerve to get onstage and perform during a talent contest.
It was a place where good-natured rivalries and ribbing were honed while rubbing shoulders with fellow pigskin fans on football Sundays.
Ward was a joker, going so far as to hold a "wake" complete with red and gold painted casket carried by six pallbearers and a reverend standing by to deliver the eulogy when the San Francisco 49ers played the Dallas Cowboys (Ward's favorite) in the NFC title game in 1993. The fans who showed up for the barbecue and to watch the game, were "90 percent 49er faithful," Ward said, chuckling, to the Tribune at the time.
Ward also blazed new ground. Though a devoted drinker of Beefeaters gin (on the rocks, a son said), he launched an alcohol and smoke-free night every other Monday to suit his customers who loved to come to the club to dance and socialize but preferred not to be around people who were drinking.
Dillard, president of the Oakland Black Board of Trade and Commerce, was working for the city of Oakland when he met Ward. Ward had applied to the city for a business loan to open the Lamppost, and Dillard handled the details. The men became good friends and worked on many projects together over the years, from voter registration drives to toy giveaways and political events.
Dillard said that Ward cared deeply about Oakland and worked hard to boost the city and its residents, but his friend didn't toot his own horn.
"He was the catalyst behind getting Olympic boxer Andre Ward to help recruit volunteers for a voter-registration drive," Dillard said. "He wasn't just a club owner like people think he was. He was much more than that."
That voter registration effort resulted in 200 volunteers going door to door in every census tract in West Oakland, Dillard said. Ward also bought toys to give out to children at Christmas every year, served on the board of Cole School in West Oakland, and provided turkeys for needy families at Thanksgiving. A charitable organization he founded provided scholarships and dental and health care for disadvantaged youths.
"He was concerned about the quality of life for people, particularly African-American people," Dillard said. "You don't replace someone of that caliber, because he touched so many lives that didn't even know him. He was a kindhearted man who believed in sharing the gifts that God gave him."
Ward grew tired in recent years after troubles with city officials over security at Jimmie's led him to sell the club, thus giving up a lifelong passion that had been keeping him energized, said son David Ward.
"A month ago, he said to me, 'I'm tired, I'm ready to go,' " Ward said Wednesday. "Let me tell you. If he still had a club to run, if he was still in the mix making sure everybody was having a good time, he wouldn't be tired."
David Ward illustrated his point by recounting the legendary story from the early days of his father's bartending career when a jealous woman stabbed him in the chest. The blade missed his heart by a fraction of an inch, David Ward said.
"But he just bandaged it up. He stuck around and closed the club, and he didn't go to the hospital until after it was all closed up. That's how much that work meant to him."
It was while in the hospital for his wounds that Ward garnered his nickname, given him by doctors who "thanked sweet Jesus" for Ward's miraculous survival.
In the end, Ward's sons said, they took two lessons from their father as the most important.
"He always used to tell me, 'Take care of those who take care of you,' " David Ward said. "That, and he hated lies. You could get away with stealing from him before he'd forgive you for telling a lie."
Another of Ward's sons, the Rev. Steven Ward, said his father passed on a maxim he has carried his whole life.
"He believed in honesty in all things," the reverend said. "He told me, 'Your word is the only thing you can give, and keep.' "
Ward is survived by first cousin and mother figure Leola Johnson, wife Linda Ward, 13 children, 15 grandchildren, a great grandson and a host of nieces, nephews, other relatives and friends.
A memorial service for Ward, where members of the community are welcome to share their memories, will begin at 7 p.m. today at Good Hope Church, 5717 Foothill Blvd., Oakland. A public funeral Friday will follow at noon Friday in the same location.
