James R. (Jim) Free
Chairman Emeritus, Campbell Veterans Memorial Foundation, Inc. and Advisory Board Member
JAMES R. (JIM) FREE, is an Advisory Board Member for the Veterans Memorial & Support Foundation. In January 2005, Mayor Dan Furtado asked Jim to initiate and lead an effort to build a new Veterans Memorial in downtown Campbell. He also is the founding President & CEO of that corporation, a position he held until 2015, and today is Chairman Emeritus of the Campbell Veterans Memorial Foundation, Inc.’s board.
Jim was selected Kiwanis member of the Year in 1999 and in 2003 he was selected as the Campbell Chamber of Commerce Citizen of the Year. In June, 2013, Assemblyman Paul Fong, selected Jim as the State of California Veteran of the Year for Assembly District 28 and in 2020, Jim was selected as the Campbell Veterans Memorial Foundation Veteran of the Year.
Jim is a U.S. Navy Vietnam War Veteran. He served on board the USS Goldsborough DDG20, as a technician in the guided surface to air missile defense division and was involved in several combat missions in the Gulf of Tonkin and Vietnam during that conflict.
Jim has been united in marriage to his wife – Lucille Maravilla, for over twenty years. The two enjoy traveling, community involvement 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
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"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."
Our freedom to live and work in a community as great as ours is a result of the sacrifices borne by those who serve, and in some cases, veterans who have given us their all for our country. The Flame of Liberty Memorial delivers honor and gratitude to our Veterans. More importantly, it shouts "Welcome Home!"
"The reason I have donated time and energy to this worthwhile cause is because Veterans and active Military provide for the peace and freedom of our country, which is fundamental to the American way of life."