It would be a sure bet that Jim Nolan, 72, currently of Bishop Hill, has lived in every state west of the Mississippi River.
Nolan, born in Denver, Colo., began this long trek around age 10 when his father, a master carpenter and private contractor, started building homes all around the west. He sometimes changed schools two or three times a year.
His father later worked as a superintendent for several larger companies, but that still required numerous moves. All that moving didn’t hamper his education as much as you might think.
Back then machine shop was part of schooling and Nolan learned to be a machinist, tool and die maker, and a gunsmith. Those skills went along well with the carpentry knowledge handed down from his father and grandfather.
“Times were different,” Nolan said. “If you thought you were big enough to do something, they’d let you try. If you were willing to work, someone would hire you and show you the ropes.”
He never found himself at a loss for a job. After his military service, Nolan moved to Arizona to work a series of jobs that included construction, carpentry and law enforcement. If work at the copper mines slowed down, he’d go back to police work or take on a construction project.
“Find something that nobody can do and learn to do it,” Nolan observed. “It’s kept me in jobs all my life.”
