James L. “Jim” Lubeck, 87

Fairfield, Conn.

Jim Lubeck died on Thursday, Feb. 15, after a long battle with Alzheimer’s. A proud Wisconsin native, Jim’s successful 40-plus-year sales career with the E.I. Du Pont De Nemours Company brought him to California where he met and married his wife, Myra (Stead) Lubeck, with whom he shared 53 years of marriage. Jim’s work with DuPont would eventually lead him to the East Coast, first to Marblehead, Mass., then onto Rumson, N.Y., and finally Fairfield, Conn.

In addition to being the commodore of Black Rock Yacht Club (BRYC) (Bridgeport, Conn.) in 1989, Lubeck was an avid sailor, a great leader and a wonderful husband and father. Many may recall that he pioneered what has become US Sailing’s Junior Big Boat Sailing (JBBS) series that’s now active throughout the U.S.

Jim had founded the program at BRYC, and then, with the help of other boat owners who were willing to allow juniors to sail their boats, the program flourished. Jim realized that, unless they’re on their way to becoming competitive sailors, juniors often tire of dinghy sailing at roughly age 15. The JBBS program made it possible for them to join a larger social group, and to learn to safely sail aboard a large boat. Because of this program’s success, US Sailing adopted it as their national model, replicating it throughout the United States.