[BaadAssGremlins] Re: James Hahn

["Robert" <baddassgremlin@xxxxxxx>]

Eddie, and to all,,, Truly a very sad day... My thoughts and prayers 
also to his family. Bob in MN.


--- In BaadAssGremlins@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx, "Eddie Stakes" 
<eddiestakes@...> wrote:
>
> What a devastiating blow. It's always tough to hear a AMC Friend 
passes 
> away, but doubly tough to hear one taking his own life. It's 
another thing 
> to get killed in a car wreck or drown, but another to blow one's 
head off.
> 
> James Hahn was a friend of mine. I frist cross paths with him in 
the mid 
> 1980s, a big fellow, looked like a football player who towered over 
me. And 
> wore a eternal smile. He liked Gremlins. Didn't care for AMX, 
Ambassador, 
> anything except Gremlin. You probably saw me write about him 
being "the 
> gremlin god" as he owned about 13-16 of them, and his dad was just 
as 
> enthusiastic about those little cars. Together, they seemed to snap 
up any 
> Gremlin that needed a home; and in the 80s, many of the Gremlins 
were 
> usually bought at police auctions...one step from the crusher.
> 
> One Gremlin in particular I need to mention. I was driving along 
Washington 
> avenue here in Houston in the late 1980s and had it down to science 
to where 
> I could drive slowly and look at the back rows of cars in the many 
used car 
> lots on Washington, Harrisburg, Shepard, Durham and even College; 
as the 
> back rows is where the AMCs sat. On this day there was a small lot 
with 
> about 20 cars near Sawyer and The Pig Stand, and one front row was 
a little 
> white Gremlin, so I whipped around and stopped.
> 
> It was a 74 Gremlin X, white with 304, AT and beautiful Levi's 
interior. I 
> tlked to the salesmen and they wanted $1500 for it. When I made my 
rounds 
> and went home, the first person I called was James Hahn. Not that 
he needed 
> another, but this car was sweet, ready to show with little detail. 
He 
> thanked me and went and bought it next day for $1250 cash.
> 
> That car he, along with beautiful wife Jaime, would proudly show at 
many 
> meets here in the east Texas area for years to come including AMC 
Regionals, 
> and ISCA Astrodome. The little 74 Gremlin made the big guy with the 
big 
> smile have a bigger smile, especially when he would win a trophy! 
His dad 
> had another show Gremlin, a red 76, but this one they really liked.
> 
> I talked to James just 2 years ago....and his work number at 
Blentech was on 
> my desk here as I was going to call him to see if he needed 
anything off the 
> 74 Hornet I am parting out.
> Last night (October 24th) I was watching the news about a SWAT 
standoff in 
> NW Harris County in Spring. Nothing unusual there, SWAT standoffs 
are way of 
> life in big city. But unusual about this was the announcer said 
that 'the 
> man on Covington Place' had 'a chemical belt with explosives, and 
had told 
> the officers that they knew what he does for a living and to back 
off'. I 
> thought that strange, but that was end of it.
> 
> This morning, I found out the SWAT stand off ended as it was first 
thing on 
> Houston news. The name seemed familiar, James Hahn. The firth thing 
you 
> think of is how many people named James Hahn in Spring, Texas that 
are 
> chemists and 39 years old. No, can't be. So I went to office closet 
and 
> started pilfering thru AMC Club of Houston rosters, as he had been 
a member 
> on and off for years, not steady, just occasionally. There is his 
name, and 
> Covington Place, Spring. No, not this big happy bear Gremlin guy.
> 
> I told my youngest son, Jacob, who is 4 now, to watch cartoons of 
which he 
> happily obliged. On my desk, I called Blentech, the work number I 
had for 
> James since 1980s. The lady who answered the phone sounded tired. 
I'm not at 
> a loss for words but stuttered thru it something like this:
> "Hi, good moring maam, my name is Eddie Stakes." "Hi Eddie." Yes 
maam, I saw 
> some news report about a SWAT standoff in Spring and the fellow's 
name is 
> James Hahn and I his number is on my desk here and I just wanted to 
make 
> sure this is not my Gremlin buddy who works there." She said "Hi 
Eddie, I 
> remember you, and yes, this is his mother, and he killed himself 
last night. 
> He had gotten a divorce from Kaime about 5 years ago and had been 
depressed 
> as they mortgage company was foreclosing on his house." Insert 
stunned 
> silence here. "He had been depressed, and as you know, we are a 
family run 
> business here." "I stuttered (for lack of better word) WHY? He is 
only 39 
> years old dammit!" But then quickly realized nothing I could say or 
do would 
> easy this mother's pain. I told her that Paige & me would pray for 
James, 
> and also strength for his family at this time and if there is 
anything I 
> could do (their ain't) to please call me 24 hours. She said she was 
thankful 
> for all those friends who had been calling expressing sympathy. I 
told her 
> that James was just a big nice fellow and I could not even 
comprehend what 
> her or daddy are going thru.
> 
> I also told her about finding the Gremlin on Washington and how he 
was like 
> a kid with new puppy when he bought it years ago. On my wall I have 
a framed 
> 8x10 of my 68 Rebel convertible Machine at the ISCA 5 star Auto 
Rama at the 
> dome from possibly 1990 or 1991. Next to it....is James' little 74 
Levi's 
> Gremlin!
> 
> She laughed as only a mother could do, especially under the 
circumstances. 
> No mom should have to bury son. And all the questions. I just 
wished he had 
> asked for some help. I honestly don't know what goes thru one's 
mind but I 
> have been depressed before, just not to that pushed to the wall/no 
return I 
> guess James was at with deputies serving eviction notice to him and 
he 
> barricades himself in there. The kid had so much to live for and 
nothing to 
> die for, but again, no one knows what goes thru a person's mind 
battling 
> demons.
> 
> This is the article in the Houston Chronicle:
> 
> http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/5244051.html
> 
> I'm sure in coming days there will be more on this strange story 
that sadly, 
> involved a long time AMCer, and dammit, just a good man I had 
watched grow 
> up the past decades.
> 
> This is a photo of James' Gremlin I mentioned above at the Houston 
AutoRama 
> behind my Rebel.
> 
> http://www.planethoustonamx.com/stuff/james_gremlin.jpg
> 
> I probably have photos here of James, and chances are he is with or 
> in......a Gremlin, and well, wearing a big smile. Too upset to look 
thru 
> cases of photo albums right now however, eventually after the 
funeral, if 
> there is one, will do it and make copies for his momma of her son, 
as usual, 
> smiling. Ya'll say a prayer for this young man, he was a joy to be 
around, 
> and at any AMC meet, even non AMC meet, ws usaully first one there 
and one 
> of last to leave, and would always lend a hand, unloading parts, 
picking up 
> trash in park, judging, selling sodas to benefit chapter, you name 
it, he 
> was all that. God Bless You James, you will be missed by everyone 
you 
> crossed paths with in this life. I just wished you had asked 
someone for 
> help big guy.
> Eddie Stakes
>




 
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