Acts of kindness
Friends remember J.R. Ewins for his humor, compassion and dedication to his family, friends and faith
By Lola Garcia
J.R. Ewins loved his life. He loved music. He loved his friends, his family and his faith.
On Saturday, January 22, James Robert (J.R.) Ewins was killed in a car accident outside of Davenport, Iowa.
The sophomore was on his way back to Grinnell from his home in Lincoln, Ill. Students received news of his death in an email from Dean for Student Life Jen Krohn that evening. His was the second car accident fatality this academic year.
Students were both shocked and saddened by the sudden news of his death, but when asked about their friend, that’s not the first thing they talked about.
They talk about the fact that J.R. was random and caring, and funny and kind.
“What I remember most is his smile,” said long-time friend Carly Schuna ’06. “It was the hugest, most brightest smile ever.”
Many people remembers J.R.’s kindness and easy-going attitude. “J.R. was just an incredible person,” said Schuna. “He never said anything bad about anyone.”
People remember the random acts of hilarity that J.R. instigated and carefully preserved. He first met fellow Grinnellian Alex Leach ’06 at the summer church camp they both attended for many years. One summer, Leach was tied up with handcuffs and duct tape and smeared with shaving cream by fellow campers.
“J.R. took, like, ten pictures of that,” said Leach, “and every time he was in a conversation with me and any other person he would offer to show those pictures. He kept those with him all the time.”
“…he felt like he belonged at Grinnell…”
As fun-loving as he was, most friends also noted that the biochemistry/religious studies double major was a diligent and hard-working student. “The boy studied more than anybody I have ever seen,” said Sarah Smith ’07.
Schuna remembers how she figured out that J.R. had developed a crush
on her during his freshman year. “He would stop by my room four
times a day to ask for help with his homework,” she explained, “which
was totally ridiculous. I didn’t know anything about biochem. He
was a biochem major.”
J.R. had known he wanted to attend Grinnell since his long-time friend
Leach went the year ahead of him and he had had the opportunity to visit.
He prospied twice his senior year in high school, and would visit with
his family in order to watch Leach perform in campus a capella groups.
On J.R.’s first prospie visit, Leach’s first year double was too small, and J.R. had nowhere to sleep. Finally, a room down the hall volunteered a basket chair. Though obviously uncomfortable, according to Leach, J.R. never complained.
He asked Leach for help on the application, especially the essay, because he thought he was a bad writer. “It was like the blind leading the blind,” said Leach, who agreed to help him. “I’m a terrible writer.”
J.R. was, of course, admitted, and well into his second year he remained sure that he belonged at Grinnell. Stephanie Masta, the RLC for Norris, where J.R. lived, remembered that he would comment frequently about how much he loved Grinnell and how glad he was that he was there.
“He loved being an SA more than anything else.”
While at Grinnell, J.R. never hesitated to throw himself into everything he did. “We had this running joke,” said Masta, “every time we’d see him he would just be like, ‘You look so tired.’” J.R. was a member of Community Chorus, an employee at Burling, and—perhaps most importantly to him—a Student Advisor.
Schuna, an SA when J.R. was a freshman, was partly responsible for inspiring him to be a part of student staff. When Smith, then a friend and classmate, announced that she wanted to be an SA on Norris Second and would need a co-SA, J.R. jumped at the chance. She remembers bringing it up in class one day and being most impressed at J.R.’s willingness to live in Norris again.
According to his friends, J.R.’s caring personality made him perfect for the position. “He was really devoted to being an SA,” said Smith. “He really liked being able to be there for people and make a difference in their lives. He just really wanted to do good for people.”
Renee Lindeman ’08 lived on J.R.’s floor and was a fellow member of Community Chorus. She remembered J.R.’s eagerness to help her and her new roommate move in. “He stopped by like four times that day just to see if we needed help,” she said.
He took his role as an SA seriously, but also knew how to make the job
fun. J.R. had wanted his floor theme to be Monty Python and the Holy Grail.
Halfway through the semester, he changed his mind, and gave the floor
a second theme. “He picked another Monty Python movie,” said
co-SA Smith.
Being an SA was reminiscent of one of J.R.’s great commitments of
his life: his work at a Baptist summer camp. Leach remembers that, before
J.R. was old enough to work as an official camp counselor he had to work
as a staff person. Staff members would “work for terrible, terrible
pay. I think we worked it out and you made like two dollars an hour,”
he said. J.R. took the job so that he could be at camp when he was too
old to be a camper. According to Leach, J.R. got on week off the whole
summer, and he spent it filling in as a counselor.
“You knew it mattered a lot to him.”
Part of J.R.’s commitment to camp came from his commitment to his fairh. A large number of people from his church attended the funeral, said Leach. J.R., though he was raised a Baptist, became seriously committed to his faith when he as between eigth and ninth grade.
J.R. served on the American Baptist Youth Board for five years. When he was a junior in high school, he had the opportunity to run for President of Youth Board, but decided not ot run because a friend of his wanted the position. J.R. entered the Vice Presidential race instead. “The next year he just destroyed the president race,” remembers Leach, who served as Treasurer of the Board during J.R.’s term as Vice President. “He was just a role model to so many people.”
At Grinnell, J.R. continued to live committed to his fait h and kept in touch with his pastor from Lincoln. “He didn’t really talk about his religion that much … but it was obvious it was a big part of his life,” explained Schuna. “I think it was obvious because he was so caring. A lot of people are really caring, but with him, there was an added tenderness.”
Friends and Family
Rivaling J.R.’s commitment to his faith was his commitment to his family. Coming with him on his two prospie trips, his family continued to visit him after he began attending Grinnell. Schuna remembers that whenever his family would visit, J.R. would take them around and introduce them to all of his friends.
His father, John, was a prison guard, and J.R. would joke about his father’s profession frequently. “Whenever anyone would tease him, he would say things like, ‘My dad’s a prison guard, and he will destroy you,” remembers Schuna.
When John visited for parent’s weekend and went to the Dag Renaissance Fair, Leach remembers, it took four Dag men and J.R. to get him into the stocks.
J.R. would also drive to Lincoln, Ill. throughout the semester. Smith remembers that the dedicated student even left once during finals week when he was worried about his grandmother.
At the same time, when hew as at Grinnell, his friends were like his family, and he treated them with the same attachment. “He was very committed and very devoted to his friends,” said Masta.
His friends remember how he would show his caring for them in random and everyday ways. “J.R. was just the nicest guy,” said one floormate, Madeline Lee ’08. She remembers how he would stop by her room many times a day “just to say ‘hi.’”
Schuna remembers one act of kindness that was especially random. J.R. went to a “make-your-own-bear” store at a mall he bought Schuna a stuffed Kung-Fu bear and presented it to her when he returned. “I thought it was hideous, and never really liked it,” Schuna said, “but now, I’m going to keep it forever.”
