Willow Glen Resident

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Willow Glen shocked by the death of Jim Arbuckle

By Mayra Flores De Marcotte

Jim Arbuckle had his own way of doing things.

That unique style came to an abrupt end on July 7 when Arbuckle, 72, died while riding his bicycle.

According to Sukhdev Singh of Foxworthy Gas & Repair at the corner of Foxworthy and Meridian avenues, around 11:40 a.m. a man waiting at the bus stop saw Arbuckle pass by on his bicycle and then fall off.

San Jose Fire Department Capt. Steve Alvarado said Fire Station No. 9 responded to a 911 call. An off-duty fire captain who happened to be on the scene began administering aid to Arbuckle prior to the paramedics' arrival. Arbuckle was taken to Valley Medical Center.

Although the cause of death is still unconfirmed, it was not the result of a bicycling accident.

Willow Glen resident Jim Zetterquist, president of the California Pioneers of Santa Clara County, an active preservationist and history lover who had a close working relationship with Arbuckle, says he thinks about local historians by the hats they wear.

"Jim's father Clyde always wore a 'Smokey Bear' hat," he says. "Leonard McKay wore a red, white and blue stovepipe hat like Lincoln, and when I think of Jim, I think of his cyclist helmet."

Zetterquist lives along the route Arbuckle would ride daily.

"Every morning, he would pass by me and stop and chat," he says.

"It gives me a good feeling to know he passed away doing something he loved to do," Zetterquist says.

Arbuckle's other love was a preservation of history. He followed in the footsteps of his father, Clyde. The elder Arbuckle was a well-known San Jose historian.

After Clyde Arbuckle's death in 1998, his son carried on the family's role as a guardian of local history.

"Jim was never in the shadow of his dad," Zetterquist says. "He followed in his father's love for cycling and interest in local history, but he was his own man."

Jim Arbuckle studied engineering at the UC-Berkeley. He worked as an engineer at Lockheed Martin for many years before becoming a tech writer for various companies in the Bay Area.

Arbuckle traveled extensively in Europe, riding his bicycle where he could.

"He chose to come back later in life and renew his ties with San Jose and its rich history," Zetterquist says.

According to Zetterquist, Arbuckle helped consolidate all of his family's contributions, including his mother Helen's book.

"He was the glue that not only tied together Clyde's contributions, but Helen's and his own as well," Zetterquist says.

Clyde Arbuckle, in his involvement in local preservation, wrote The History of San Jose. Helen Arbuckle, seeing the distinct lack of important local women in her husband's book, began a research project on pioneering women that continued until her death in 1999. Jim Arbuckle finished the work his mother's started and published her book San Jose's Women: Colonial Days to the 1970s in 2003. Throughout his career, Arbuckle was involved in several local groups that fought to preserve history, including the California Pioneers of Santa Clara County, Preservation Action Council San Jose, History San Jose, E Clampus Vitus and Los Fundadores de Alta California.

"It wasn't about him," Zetterquist says. "His work stood on its own. Clyde was a historian. Historians document history, but Jim, with his participation and service, was also a preservationist."

Zetterquist says there was more to Arbuckle than his passion for history. He also had a quirky personality.

"The thing that I remember Jim most for, other than a shared love of the community, is his sense of humor, sarcastic wit and impish grin," Zetterquist says.

Palm Haven resident and preservationist Joan Bohnett was involved in many of the same groups as Arbuckle and their families knew each other.

"He was alive with history and stories of San Jose and the local area," Bohnett says. "I think that we all saw him as being in the middle of his life, so it was a shock to think that he's here no more."

Bohnett is the chairwoman of the Willow Glen Neighborhood Association's History Committee, in charge of putting together the revised local walking tour guide, Touring Willow Glen: 10 Walking Tours.

The two began spending time together in 2002.

"We belonged to many of the same organizations and would see each other at events," Bohnett says. "He'd call me about questions on Willow Glen. Then he came to the committee a year ago."

Arbuckle would walk the sites with Bohnett, discussing the history and pictures that would work well with each tour.

"I just think of him as a good man with a handle on what went on before us," Bohnett says. "I think it's important to know that he was a kind and giving man that truly contributed to the story of our area both personally and professionally."

Others knew a man with diverse interests that included fine meals, good wines and a passion for gardening.

"He's a very complex and interesting person," says Willow Glen resident Bonnie Bamburg. "He's a rounded person. There was a lot more than just history."

Bamburg is the president of the Friends of Winemakers and met Arbuckle through his parents.

"We served together in a number of capacities," she says. "We're both part of the board of directors of Friends of Winemakers. He was slaving to move up."

Arbuckle was fascinated with wine and would travel to France to visit local wineries.

Just days before his death, Arbuckle returned from a trip to France.

"He had sent his bike ahead so that it would be there waiting for him when he arrived," Bamburg says. "He was a little nervous about that but once there, rode it to the local wineries. He would send me links to web pages from the places he visited. He was a delightful friend."

Another aspect of his personality was enjoying a fine meal with a good vintage.

"He was quite a good chef," Bamburg says. "It was how we were introduced to his garden vegetables."

Arbuckle was an avid gardener who grew heritage vegetables. "We would often enjoy his tomatoes," Bamburg says. "He would have an exchange with me on the color and whether or not they were ready to pick yet."

She says she will miss their conversations.

"The fact that he died riding his bicycle sums it up," she says. "He was hard to catch up with; he was moving too fast."

Jim Arbuckle is survived by a sister, Susan Arbuckle. Memorial plans are still pending.