JIM MUSICK There are some people who give to the community through service clubs or organizations. Others donate money or goods. A final category of givers is those who give of themselves, to anyone who needs it. The MARIPOSA GAZETTE’S Citizen of the Year for 2009 fits the last description.

Jim Musick is a fixture of Mariposa. He’s been here since the 1960s, and his face and name are synonymous with the sense of community. There are few events or gatherings that Musick isn’t part of. But those are things he does for fun.

Musick’s real service comes in the form of giving his time to those who need it. He looks after many elderly people. He helps just about anyone he sees with car trouble. And, he rarely misses a Grizzly athletic contest, home or on the road. “He knows everybody,” long- time friend Hugh Carter said. “He takes care of all these people.”

For decades, Musick was the face of Jack’s Market. Carter, who owned the market in downtown Mariposa, worked with Musick for over 30 years. He can’t think of a more deserving person to be honored as citizen of the year.

“I think it’s awesome,” Carter said of Musick’s selection. The two men have known each other for more than 40 years. “The guy is just amazing. He’s a phenomenon.”

Carter related countless stories of Musick helping stranded motorists from around the world. He told of the time he took an entire family to his home after its van broke down on the way to Yosemite. Another time, he came upon a truck with a broken axle that was blocking Highway 140 in the Park.

Musick was first to get the truck out of the way so traffic could pass. He then spent two days fixing it so its driver wouldn’t miss his daughter’s wedding in Tuolumne Meadows. A young Spanish couple hit a deer, wrecking their rental car. Again, it was Musick to the rescue. Carter said the Musicks still have a standing invitation to visit Spain.

Carter said they have a running joke about Musick’s role as Good Samaritan. “If total strangers need help, he’d stop and help them,” and not just in Mariposa, Carter said. “It’s any place. If there’s a hood up, he’ll stop.”

Over the years, Musick has purchased some rental properties, many in need of serious work. He did that work, making the homes decent and livable. Instead of turning around and selling them at a profit, Musick uses them as rentals, helping provide decent and affordable housing to many families.

On any given Friday night, Musick can be found in the bleachers of a Grizzly game. This year, he left his Thanksgiving celebration in Lake Tahoe with his son to make it back to Sacramento in time to see the Grizzly football team play in the second round of the CIF section playoffs.

This dedication is in part why the school has afforded him a lifetime pass to home contests. Long-time Mariposa County High School Athletic Director Loyd Hobby called Musick’s loyalty to Grizzly sports programs unmatched. “I can’t even count how many games and trips,” Musick has made, Hobby said.

As 2009 closes and attendance at Grizzly games has dropped by as much as 50 percent, Musick remains a shining example of what having the best interest of the community and its children should be.

None of this comes as a surprise to Carter. “He’s pretty amazing,” he said. “He’s got so many good traits. He’s so good to people. He’s definitely going to heaven.”