Reprinted from the Boston Globe’s obituary site… http://www.legacy.com/bostonglobe/LegacyHome.asp
“Big Jimmy” was the night watchman at the East Campus and Senior House dormitories while I was a student at MIT, in the late 90’s. I used to work desk at EC and ended up with the closing shift (generally 9pm-2am) because I was the only one silly enough to take it. He would hang out before and after he made his rounds, and would entertain me (and anyone else who would listen) with stories about his kids, his health, crazy-ass things former (and current) students had done… When he’d make his rounds, he’d go down the hallways and grab all the empty beer and soda cans people left around on the ledges of the halls. Then he’d take 'em to the supermarket, cash them in, and buy us frozen pizzas or burritos. “Jimmy pizzas”, we’d call them. Our band actually wrote a song about him, in the vein of a superhero theme song. The words I remember:
*Late one night while on his rounds
He found an experiment in the lounge
It blew up, he was out for hours
When he woke up, he had Super Jimmy Powers
He walks down the hall and collects up all the cans
Puts them on the wall and he raises up his hands
Out from his fingers he shoots Super Jimmy Beams
Where the cans once stood, Jimmy pizza now gleams!
1…2…3…4!
Big Jimmy the night watchman
Protector of East Campus
When evil sees him, it runs away
Big Jimmy will save the day!
*
He was a great guy. We’re going to miss you, “Big Jimmy”.