James Hammond

James Arthur Hammond

May 24, 1930 - Aug 25, 2013

Resident of San Mateo

James passed away peacefully in his sleep on August 25, 2013. Born in Kenosha, Wisconsin to Beatrice and Laurence Hammond, he graduated from Appleton High School where he was a star athlete in track, basketball and football. In 1947, Jim was named first-string quarterback to the Wisconsin High School All-State Football Squad.

Jim went on to become a football legend of his time at the University of Wisconsin in Madison. He was a member of the famous defensive team known as the Hard Rocks and captain of the football team in 1951. Jim was such a diverse player that he was successful on both offense and defense playing cornerback, fullback, and punter. He led the Big Ten in 1950 with a 42-yard punting average. A 1951 newspaper headline read, "BADGERS' FINEST - Capt. Jim Hammond". He was selected to play for the East team in the 1951 East-West Shrine game and went on to play pro ball for the Dallas Texans. Jim earned his degree in Horticulture and kept his love of plants and flowers throughout his life.

After college, he worked as a salesman at his father's company, the Larry Hammond Co in Milwaukee. Jim soon fell in love and in 1957 married Mary Heermann from Sheboygan, WI. A few years later Jim and Mary headed west to the San Francisco Bay Area where Jim began his own manufacturer's rep company, Dimensional Control Corporation, in San Carlos. During his years in California, Jim developed a love of golf and was quite good at the game. He joined the board at Crystal Springs Golf Course and held a position for over 30 years. Jim retired from Dimensional Control in 2006 and spent the remainder of his years enjoying golf, gardening and his family.

He is survived by his three children, John, Beth and Lisa, brother Larry, sister Ann Seher, and brother Chris Borggren. He will be missed by his grandchildren Kimberly, Arthur, Arisa and Mia. He was preceded in death by his parents and brother Mike, sister Jean Otto, nephew Ben and niece Laura Farrow. Jim was a loving husband, father, and grandfather with a wonderful sense of humor and always a story to tell and a song to sing or whistle.

A memorial service to celebrate the life of Jim Hammond will be held at the Crystal Springs Golf Course in Burlingame, CA on Sunday, October 27th at 11am. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Alzheimer's Association.