The oldest of five children, Jim Rhodes was born on October 20, 1952, to Margie Ann and Wayne Rhodes at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Houston, Texas. Jim has two sisters, Connie and Vanessa, and two brothers, Waylan and Jerry. The family moved around a lot during his early childhood, but Jim always called Humble, Texas, his home. Many of his mother’s family lived there including two aunts, Evelyn and Janelle, and two uncles, Hershel and Ronnie, and his beloved grandparents, MeeMaw and PeePaw.

Jim started band in the sixth grade in Atlanta, Georgia playing an old beat-up school baritone horn. “I wasn’t very good at it in the beginning, but I did know one thing,” Jim said. “I loved band!” Jim’s family moved back to Texas in 1969, and he got to finish his junior and senior years at Humble High School under the direction of Mr. Bob Wylie. Mr. Wylie was a great influence in Jim’s life. He moved Jim to the tuba his senior year and he asked him where he was going to college. Mr. Wylie then introduced Jim to Sul Ross State University in Alpine, Texas. Jim loved West Texas and played in the Sul Ross Band for four years under directors Leon Theriot and Don Chandler. Jim earned a Bachelor of Music Degree in 1975 and started his first teaching job as an assistant band director at Alpine High School with David Talmidge and then later with Bill Shipp. Bill and Jim became great friends and Jim learned so much from Bill’s many years of experience.

In 1980, Jim was hired as the band director in Grandfalls-Royalty, Texas. “Grandfalls was where I became a band director,” he said. The job came with no expectations and Jim got to make all the decisions, good and bad. The first summer band under Jim’s direction had 28 students in 7th-12th grades. He got the band up to 48 students by marching contest by promising them they would have a stage band if they joined. They never did have that stage band.

Grandfalls was also where he met Mr. Dan Gibbs, the outstanding band director at Monahans High School. Dan was to become his clinician, mentor, and friend. “Whatever Dan said to do, I did it.” Dan’s favorite saying that he still uses to this day was to “Stop and Smell the Roses!” He also gave the advice that “The band is never as good as you want it to be and not as bad as you think it is.” Jim tried to live by that motto. He stayed at Grandfalls for 14 years and the band eventually became consistent UIL Sweepstakes winners and made three trips to the State Marching Contest placing 3rd in 1988, 5th in 1989, and 6th in 1993. In 1984, the Band Hall was named the “Jim Rhodes Band Hall” and in 1987 Grandfalls-Royalty was named the TMEA Class A State Honor Band.

It was also during this time that Jim met his future wife, Nancy. Nancy was a County Extension Agent in Monahans, and they were married in June of 1990.

In 1994, Jim was offered a job as an assistant band director in Monahans by his good friend Lucky Floyd. Monahans ended up being a great experience for him because he got to play harder literature, work with larger numbers of students and teach with some of the best directors around, which included Mr. Floyd, Andy Patterson, and Andy Sealy. Mr. Sealy was the junior high director at that time and one of the most intense directors Jim had ever known. He once sternly told Jim to take the trombones out and to not come back until they could play every note of the music. Jim said, “Believe me when I say, I felt more stress than those kids ever did!” Tony Gibbs came to Monahans Jim’s second year in Monahans and became a great leader, teacher, and friend.

In 1996, Jim and Nancy’s daughter Elizabeth was born and is their pride and joy. She continues to give them much happiness with her husband Brice and two grandchildren, Kate and Kole.

In 1997, Forsan High School hired Jim to resurrect their band program from a non-UIL participant to full time UIL status again. It was certainly hard those early years because the students had lost their desire for discipline, rules, and competitiveness; however, each graduation brought up sixth grade classes that helped Jim change the culture of the program.

The Forsan Band earned a Sweepstakes Jim’s second year there and went on to win 21 in a row. They participated 11 times at the State Marching Contest making finals eight times, winning silver medals in 2005, 2009, and 2013. Forsan earned the gold medal and became the Class 1A State Marching Band Champion in 2007. The FHS Band also represented Texas in the 2005 Fourth of July Parade in Washington, D.C. In 2007, they won the TMEA Class A State Honor Band making them one of the few bands to be the State Marching Band Champion and State Honor Band in the same year.

Jim retired from Forsan in 2019 after 44 years of teaching. During his career, he was awarded the UIL Sponsor of Excellence Award in Music, the Marcia McEntyre Zuffuto “Score a Goal in the Classroom” award, and the Meritorious Achievement Award from TBA for Outstanding Contribution to Music Education. Jim has also conducted many clinics at TMEA and TBA Conventions.

Jim has often been asked why he never left the small school setting. “I have always thought that small school students needed music education too, so therefore, I never left. I was grateful to have many mentors help me along the way.”

Some of the mentors, directors, and friends Jim would like to mention are Misty and Chans Moellendorf, Lucky Floyd, Tony Gibbs, Andy Sealy, Richard Herrera, Jeff Whitaker, Mike Glaze, Barry Hurt, John Carroll, Dan Gibbs, Barry Morgan, Tim Kelley, Dane Richardson, Veronica Tagle, Gerardo Loya, Andy Patterson, Jeremy Higginbotham, Tony Lucas, Emmanuel Madrid, Travis Peters, Amy Alejandro, Gage Winkle, Monty Montgomery, and administrators, J.D. Stocks, Jim Yancey, Keith Stone and Randy and LaDonna Johnson.

Jim would also like to thank the thousands of students he’s taught over his teaching career and is grateful for the many achievements and accomplishments they earned. Lastly, he would like to thank his wonderful wife and daughter who have supported him throughout his career. Jim is humbled, honored, and grateful to be selected as a member of the Hall of Fame.