Oak Forest Man Donates 190th Pint of Blood, In Memory of Daughter

Forty years after the death of Jim Watson's 3-year-old daughter Joleen, he still has trouble talking about it.

The grief never quite goes away, he said—he's always thinking, 'what if.' Joleen succumbed to leukemia in 1971, and with today's technology and advances in medicine, he wonders if she might have survived.

He tries not to dwell. Instead, he lies down, rolls up his sleeve, takes a deep breath and gives blood. On Feb. 12, he donated his 190th pint during the Oak Forest Rotary's Annual Pancake Breakfast.

"My passion is for my daughter," Watson said. "That's what keeps me going."

Shortly after her death, Watson started the blood drive in Joleen's name. At the time, he was employed by Montgomery Ward, which helped publicize his efforts by mailing a flier with employees' paychecks.

At the time of the first blood drive, the population of Oak Forest was such that 100 pints could cover the needs of the entire city. The response was overwhelming, with over 200 pints donated. Watson kept up the drive on his own for several more years, with community members stepping up to assist. Slowly, though, helpers began to drop away, and Watson decided to turn it over to the club.

The Oak Forest Rotary Club took over the drive in 1976, but Watson couldn't stay away long. As head of the drive he has helped collect 9,000 pints of blood. The club now holds four blood drives per year, in October, December, February and July. City leaders including Hank Kuspa, Greg Anderson and alderwoman Laura Clemons have become regular donors. Each donation can save three lives, and can be filtered into plasma, red cells and platelets. Donations are typically one pint: women have about 10 pints of blood, and men about 12 pints of blood in their bodies, according to Heartland Blood Centers.

It's Watson's work that has helped build the successful blood drives with Heartland Blood Centers. He heads each blood drive effort, recruiting donors and publicizing the events. He approaches newcomers and makes his pitch for them to give a pint. He pops in on nervous donors, offering a steady voice and a calming presence. And he always donates.

"He is the most recognized Rotarian," said club president John Keane. "This is really his drive."