DonRocks Posted July 22, 2017 Share Posted July 22, 2017 2 minutes ago, Pat said: Jim Vance This made me so sad, and I haven't watched local news in ages. He was just such a DC institution, it's hard to believe he's gone. On a trivial note, I didn't realize until I read the obituary that he was born in the same town my father was... Jim Vance spoke at my elementary school. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tujague Posted July 22, 2017 Share Posted July 22, 2017 20 minutes ago, Pat said: Jim Vance This made me so sad, and I haven't watched local news in ages. He was just such a DC institution, it's hard to believe he's gone. On a trivial note, I didn't realize until I read the obituary that he was born in the same town my father was... He came to my first workplace in DC (well, Bethesda) and did a report on our organization as part of a series on religion in Washington. Seeing him walk down the hallway, he was larger than life, even to a newcomer. And this will probably sound all wrong to some, but what I admired most about him is that he was so unapologetically Black. Certainly, all newscasters play a certain character to some degree, but you never once caught Jim Vance changing himself to appeal to white audiences. I don't know anyone else in the TV news media who could do that like him, and I don't think anyone ever will. What a man. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dracisk Posted July 22, 2017 Share Posted July 22, 2017 51 minutes ago, Pat said: Jim Vance This made me so sad, and I haven't watched local news in ages. He was just such a DC institution, it's hard to believe he's gone. I feel the same way. I also haven't watched local news in ages, but I still watched it when I first moved to the area in 1998, and I always liked Jim Vance. Total DC institution. 26 minutes ago, Tujague said: And this will probably sound all wrong to some, but what I admired most about him is that he was so unapologetically Black. I totally agree with this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LauraB Posted July 22, 2017 Share Posted July 22, 2017 4 hours ago, Pat said: Jim Vance This made me so sad, and I haven't watched local news in ages. He was just such a DC institution, it's hard to believe he's gone. On a trivial note, I didn't realize until I read the obituary that he was born in the same town my father was... We moved from DC to North Carolina last winter. Just yesterday, I was thinking about how much I missed Jim Vance. I watched him for decades and there was no one better. I especially appreciated his Vance's View editorials in which he would speak his mind freely and often offer what would be considered in some circles as controversial opinions. I can't think of a single time that I disagreed with him. He was a giant of a man and someone you just assumed would be there for you forever. DC is so much poorer today. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lovehockey Posted July 23, 2017 Share Posted July 23, 2017 Jim Vance loses it and takes George Michael along with him.... 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeffC Posted July 27, 2017 Share Posted July 27, 2017 One of the things I missed the most when we moved was Jim Vance...so natural and unpretentious, he always felt like a friend. Geri and I were so sad to hear of his passing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pat Posted July 27, 2017 Share Posted July 27, 2017 Before Tuesday night's game at Nats Park, there was a nice tribute to Jim Vance, complete with video of him throwing out the first pitch at a Nats game and followed by a moment of silence. I hadn't been expecting this, but it certainly seemed fitting for someone who was such a part of DC. Lots of applause from the crowd. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonRocks Posted July 27, 2017 Author Share Posted July 27, 2017 Thanks to Pat for beginning this thread with a toast - Jim Vance deserves his own thread in the TV forum (arguably the History Forum): He is a Washington, DC legend. I did not realize he lived in Silver Spring. Don't take this the wrong way, please. Jim Vance always reminded me, personally, of John Lucas - because when I was a kid, they both came and spoke at my schools (within a year-or-so of each other), both wrestled with cocaine addiction - ultimately with courage and grace, and both men came into my life at nearly the same time. Not to mention the fact that they were both immense talents, near the very top of their respective professions. The world is a worse place without Jim Vance in it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Slater Posted July 28, 2017 Share Posted July 28, 2017 I waited on him several times. He was always very pleasant. He has always been on TV since I moved here in 1977. You would never know it from TV, but he was very tall. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dracisk Posted July 28, 2017 Share Posted July 28, 2017 17 hours ago, DonRocks said: I did not realize he lived in Silver Spring. I didn't know that, either! That makes me like him even more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ktmoomau Posted July 28, 2017 Share Posted July 28, 2017 I only watched him on local news once I moved to DC. As comments above stated, I loved that he had a real personality and was always so genuine. Matt and I would always laugh as he liked to have the last word most evenings, even if it was something silly. He will really be missed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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