James Hare spent his adult life serving the Elmira community he loved — as a teacher, city council member, mayor and volunteer — and now the city is recognizing his service with a day in his honor.
Elmira Mayor Dan Mandell issued a proclamation declaring Aug. 8, Hare’s birthday, as Jim Hare Day, providing an ongoing reminder of Hare’s numerous contributions to the city over the years.
Hare, who died March 16 of this year at the age of 79, spent a 32-year career in education, teaching American history and government at what was then Elmira Southside High School.
In addition to his service as mayor and as a longtime representative of the Sixth District on the Elmira City Council, Hare was also involved in a variety of community organizations, including the Southside Community Center, Chemung County Library District, Elmira Water Board, Friends of Woodlawn Cemetery, and Elmira Little Theatre.
“He really cared for Elmira. He was instrumental in renaming the Madison Avenue Bridge as the Allen-Berry Bridge (in honor of local civil rights icons A’Don Allen and Bessie Berry),” Mandell said. “I worked with him very closely on that. A person should be remembered for all that.”
Even though he is a Republican and Hare was a staunch Democrat, Mandell said they were able to put politics aside when it came to working together on issues important to the city.
Mandell’s proclamation cited Hare’s military service in the U.S. Army, his 32 years inspiring students as a history teacher, his commitment to public service and his involvement in a multitude of community-based organizations.
Mandell signed the proclamation May 3, “to celebrate the life and contributions of Jim Hare and encourage all residents to honor his legacy by embracing service, civic engagement, and dedication to community; and further acknowledge that Jim Hare Day will be proclaimed every Aug. 8 moving forward.”
Hare’s family is delighted with the recognition.
His son Aaron said everything his father did — whether it was teaching, serving in city government or helping to preserve Elmira’s history — was done because he believed in leaving the city better than he found it.
“Our family’s hope is that Jim Hare Day will never simply be a day to remember his accomplishments,” Aaron Hare said. “We hope it becomes a day that reminds every one of us that the future of Elmira depends on the people who call it home.”
Hare also showed civic duty isn’t about running for public office, but about caring enough to get involved, and that every person has the ability to make a difference, no matter how big or how small their contribution may seem, Aaron Hare added.
“That is the legacy my father would have wanted,” he said. “Not to be remembered for the titles he held, but for the example he tried to set.”
This article originally appeared on Elmira Star-Gazette: Aug. 8 declared Jim Hare Day to honor man who ‘really cared for Elmira’
Reporting by Jeff Murray, Elmira Star-Gazette / Elmira Star-Gazette
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Jeff Murray, Elmira Star-Gazette | USA TODAY Network
