James R. (Jim) Free
PRESIDENT & CEO CAMPBELL VETERANS MEMORIAL FOUNDATION
Jim is a Vietnam Veteran, serving in the U.S. Navy as a technician on guided surface to air missile defense systems aboard the USS Goldsborough, DDG-20 a new class of guided missile destroyers. The Goldsborough was based in Pearl Harbor Hawaii and was the command ship of the Pacific fleet at the time and was involved in several missions in the Golf of Tonkin, Vietnam during that conflict.
Upon being honorably discharged from the U.S. Navy, he became involved in the commercial real estate appraisal business and started his own appraisal firm, Urban Land Research, appraising all types of residential and commercial real estate for about thirty years. He is a past President of the South Bay Chapter of the Society of Real Estate Appraisers and served several years on the Board of Directors of the Northern California Chapter of the Appraisal Institute and was a certified instructor. Jim was also a Senior Certified Commercial Broker with Coldwell Banker Commercial from 2000 to 2008.
Jim served as a board member of the Campbell Chamber of Commerce for nine years and was also a member of the Historic Downtown Campbell Steering Committee. Jim is the past President of the Campbell Kiwanis Club and was selected Kiwanian of the Year in 1999. In 2003 he was selected as the Campbell Chamber of Commerce Citizen of the Year. In June, 2013, State of California Assemblyman Paul Fong, selected Jim as the Veteran of the Year for Assembly District 28.
In January 2007, Campbell Mayor Dan Furtado asked Jim to initiate and lead an effort to build a new Veterans Memorial in downtown Campbell. A committee was formed and was later incorporated as the Campbell Veterans Memorial Foundation, Inc., a non-profit corporation. He served as the President and C.E.O. of that corporation until 2012 and is now the Chairman of the Board. Jim has been married to Lucille Maravilla for ten years and enjoys snow skiing, scuba diving, back packing and photography.
Education & training
Jim attended San Jose State University, graduating in 1971 with a B.S. degree in Business with a concentration in real estate and a minor in mathematics
and transform lives for America’s heroes. Every single penny contributes to delivering the honor, respect gratitude and healing to those who’ve defended America’s freedom.
TOGETHER, WE'RE UNSTOPPABLE
A Memorial creates an actual place where veterans, all who serve their country and families of all races, creeds, social status and opinion can find a place that creates a healing environment to reflect and value one of our greatest gifts--to live in a free society. "Going clear back to the Civil War, all of our Veterans have raised their right hand and swore to preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States. And along with that we wrote a check to the U.S. Government and the American People for an amount up to and including our lives. Unfortunately, far too many have given their all in that regard."
"It is important to have a war memorial because it must not be forgotten that many people gave their lives so that we Americans might have what we have today."