The nickname "Mr. Disaster" had a positive connotation for one Paintsville man. James T. Newman didn't cause them, but led his community through emergencies -- including at least three major floods -- in his 60 years of public service.
Mr. Newman died Wednesday at St. Joseph East hospital in Lexington of complications from a stroke, family members said. He was 78.
"It was just a passion to him; he just enjoyed helping people," said his son, Paul Gainey Newman of Paintsville.
Paul Newman said his father became involved in emergency services as a 14-year-old volunteer Paintsville firefighter. After high school, Mr. Newman was in the Navy for two years. He graduated in 1951 from Thomas More College in Crestview Hills.
He was appointed director of civil defense for Paintsville and Johnson County in 1956 while he was president of Paintsville Grocery Co.
Within a year of his appointment, Mr. Newman encountered his first disaster: the 1957 flood.
It was the second-worst flood to hit Paintsville, washing out 80 percent of the city, said Painstville Fire Chief Bob Dixon, who served as volunteer deputy under Mr. Newman.
"He hit the ground running and never slowed down," Dixon said
Paul Newman said several civic organizations cited his father for leading recovery efforts.
Dixon said Mr. Newman also is recognized for successful evacuations during 1963 and 1977 floods. There were no deaths, which he attributed to Mr. Newman's leadership.
"He was just born to do that," Dixon said. "It was like the ability and skills were second nature to him. I think that is why people called him Mr. Disaster."
Although Mr. Newman had been recognized nationally and locally for disaster management, he was most proud of coordinating an orderly mass exodus in 1978, Dixon said
The Army Corps of Engineers was building the Paintsville Dam and put up a temporary barrier, Dixon said. In December 1978, Paintsville received 8 inches of rain in two or three days and the temporary dam was on the verge of collapse.
"He evacuated 10,000 people ... and there was not one fender-bender," Dixon recalled.
Although the water receded and did not cause a flood, Mr. Newman received a certificate of appreciation from Lt. Gen. J.W. Morris of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Paul Newman said.
"It's unheard of, evacuating that many people without any incidents," Dixon said. "His history is full of things like that."
After Paintsville Grocery closed in 1981, Mr. Newman became safety director for Southeast Coal Co., where he stayed untiil 1994. He retired as director of the Painstville-Johnson County Emergency Management Agency in 2002.
Besides his son Paul Newman, Mr. Newman is survived by his wife, Florence Newman of Paintsville; three other children: Sue Ann Garland of Paintsville, James Thomas Newman Jr. of Whitesburg and John Auxier Newman, of Lexington; and four grandchildren.
Visitation will be from noon to 9 p.m. Sunday at the Jones-Preston Funeral Home in Paintsville. The funeral will be 11 a.m. Monday at St. Michael Catholic Church in Paintsville.
Distributed by the Associated Press
