Obituary of James Edward Shouse

none James Edward ShouseJames Edward Shouse, 79, passed away at his home in Chehalis on Monday, May 5, 2008. James was born March 6, 1929 in a farmhouse, three miles out of Harrison, Arkansas to Cassius and Rose (Allison) Shouse. He received two Bachelor of Arts Degrees in Journalism and Marketing, from San Jose State University, California in 1950. In June of 1951, he married his college sweetheart, Naomi D. Daley, in San Jose. Following College graduation, Jim’s first job was at the St. Helena Star, a weekly newspaper in St. Helena, CA. He worked there for a year before enlisting in the U.S. Army in 1952. After basic training, he was selected for Officer Candidate School. He was released from duty as a First Lieutenant and continued his service in the National Guard and the U.S. Army Reserves for another 27 years until his retirement as a Colonel in 1989. During his years of service in the military, he served as a field artillery officer, a commander of four combat units and as a general staff officer. Jim was awarded 14 decorations, four of which have Oak Leaf Clusters. After his active military service during the Korean Conflict, Jim spent 42 years in the newspaper business – working as a reporter, advertising salesman, advertising director, editor and publisher and the final 16 years, until his retirement in 1994, were spent as executive editor of The Chronicle, Centralia, WA. Already well known by his position as executive editor, his popular column, Sidebars, was continued in The Chronicle following his retirement. It was a well read column in which he voiced his opinions on a wide range of local, regional and national issues. He was well known and respected for the controversial issues he addressed over the years, generating a large number of “Letters to the Editor” in The Chronicle. When not working at the paper, Jim kept busy over the years with his many college, civic and community affiliations. He was a lifelong member of Sigma Chi fraternity as well as an active member in professional and civic affairs. He was a Rotarian for 40 years, serving as President of the Centralia Rotary Club from 1991-1992. He and his wife Naomi, attended six Rotary International Conferences, on three continents, as delegates. He was a member of Centralia-Chehalis Elks Lodge #2435 since 1989, and served as editor of The Washington Elk, the official quarterly publication of the Washington State Elks Association. Jim was honored with four excellence awards from the Grand Lodge of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks. He also served with the United Way of Lewis County, serving in the capacity of a Board member, loaned executive, campaign manager and president. Jim is also Past President of the Lewis County Historical Society. In the newspaper field, he has served on a variety of state and national boards, as well as a multitude of local boards. He was also a longtime member of the Military Officers Association (formerly The Retired Officers Association). There will be a Memorial Service held on Saturday, May 17, 2008, 2:00PM, at the Centralia-Chehalis Elks Lodge. Jim will be inurned at a later date at Tahoma National Cemetery, in Kent, WA.