JAMES JORDAN

1927-2020

October 15, 1927 – May 17, 2020

Some lives leave behind larger footprints than others. The life of James Jordan, “Jim or Jimmy” is definitely one of those lives.

Born in Tennessee, Jimmy lost his mother Lula at the tender age of three. Huge life changes did not stop for Jimmy. He spent his teenage years in a Boy’s Home. From there Jimmy worked hard to master upon his many talents. His passion was anything electrical in nature. In Otis Trade School, Jimmy disagreed with his professors often on their textbook view of electronics, so he set off to create his own journey. Jimmy worked between California and Nevada on a variety of electrical projects, most notably and still there today, is the lighting of signs along Freemont Street in Las Vegas. Jimmy also delved into vehicle repair along with helicopter and airplane mechanics as well as becoming a pilot himself. All the while Jimmy continued his personal passion of being the best pool shark ever. Eventually Jimmy decided to lay roots in Texas and used his winnings to open his first business, North Main Pool Hall. From there he opened many subsequent pool halls, EZ Video, as well as an auto repair shop, Pony Auto.

Next up was his desire to build the world’s largest filtered swimming pool, which he did in Spring Branch in 1973. The pool became a financial challenge to maintain and thoughts of a transition began. In 1979 Jimmy converted a Honda Hawk motorcycle to a go-kart, which laid the groundwork for his most notable legacy, building go kart tracks, first Fast Track, Houston Grand Prix, Go-Kart Raceway and Bay Area Raceway. Eventually, he converted the swimming pool into a go-kart track called Speedy’s, all while still working on projects, fixing cars and boats (a hobby that continued for the rest of his life).

Jimmy’s life was never boring, he was full of life and loved working with his hands. He was always busy with projects; he literally could not stop thinking of a way to build, engineer or improve on something. He was kinetic energy personified, always fixing something, always looking for the next project, making sure it was done right and that it would withstand any treatment without destruction. His children were always asked to test him on that guarantee. When it came to those projects, he was a master at every task involved in the project, no matter how menial or large the task was. He knew how to wire anything, install anything, level anything, build anything, fix anything, etc. He could see both the forest and the trees and always thought outside the box.

From all the businesses Jimmy started, many relationships were forged. Many people joyfully recall meeting their spouse at one of his tracks. Others recall happy memories of working at one of his numerous establishments. As illustrious as he was in his hobbies and businesses, Jimmy was equally illustrious in his personal life. He is survived by his wife, Linda, older sister, Irene, many children, grandchildren, great grandchildren, numerous nieces and nephews. He is preceded in death by his parents, son, a grandson, and several siblings. Jimmy is also preceded in death by his wives and business managers, all of whom were mothers to his children, Ethel, Betty, and Mary.

There are many ways to measure a life. The most common measure seems to be by how many people will remember you and how. While Jimmy was stern, to the point and a master of everything, he was also extremely down to earth. He was very fair and always did things with a determination and perseverance. His work ethic was by far his most exemplary trait. For those who were fortunate to have met Jimmy be it through blood, relationship, or employment, we all thank him for our countless memories through which he will live on.

A Celebration of his Life will be held Wednesday,

June 3rd beginning at 3:00 p.m., at Go Kart Raceway, 2800 W. Mount Houston Rd., Houston, TX 77038. We hope you’ll come share your stories, memories, and photos of the life of this extraordinary man. We have created a Facebook Page James Robert Jordan “Jim or Jimmy”. Feel free to share your posts.