In honor of North Central Missouri College’s centennial, NCMC will spotlight 100 inspiring stories throughout the academic year. These narratives will showcase the voices and journeys of our alumni, students, faculty, staff, donors, and the communities that have shaped TJC/NCMC’s legacy. Each story is a tribute to the people throughout history who make NCMC extraordinary.

Submitted and written by Kristi Varner, NCMC Grant Writer/Scholarship Coordinator

James Clabon
Associate in Arts

1975

James Clabon attended TJC now NCMC from 1973 to 1975 and played basketball for Coach Gary Garner.  “I don’t think anybody was poorer than us when I was growing up,” James explained.  He only played one year of high school basketball and didn’t have the financial means to go to college, but Aaron Reid put in a good word for him with Gary Garner and the rest is history.  “I had a lot of firsts in my time in Trenton,” James laughed, “my first motorcycle ride and my first time on farm. I was a young black kid from inner city St. Louis in small rural farm town in the middle of nowhere, and it was one of the best things for me.”  He explained that with nothing around to distract him, he was able to focus solely on playing basketball.  He remembered how nice everyone was to him and invited him into their homes for meals.  It became a weekly occasion for him to be invited to a teammates house for fried chicken. “Someone told me I was going to end up at the University of Missouri and I laughed and said no, no, that isn’t a possibility for someone like me.  Two years later I was playing basketball at Mizzou.”

He graduated from the University of Missouri-Columbia in 1977 and then went on to play professional basketball abroad in France.  He returned to the St. Louis area in late 1997 when his mother became ill. “I asked the team president for a leave of absence to go be with mother, he wouldn’t let me go, he said, ‘that’s not my problem’, I looked at him and said, ‘It is now’, and then I quit.” He was able to see his mother before she died, “I sold everything I had, my car, my furniture, for whatever anyone would give me. And I came home.”   After his mother’s death James stayed in St. Louis. He met Angela, a free-lance financial officer, and decided to make a life there with her and her son.   He overcame poverty and had a vision to open a place where he could help others like him turn their life around.  “I really, really want to help, Clabon said.  “If I can share what I’ve learned…if the kids give me a chance, I believed I could help them.”

In 1998 he met a priest at St. Nicholas Parish Center that shared his vision.  The priest agreed to let him use the parish gym to open JA’s Sports Fitness Club.  James and Angela funded the program themselves for the first several years and offered summer programs and basketball camps.  James coached the kids in basketball and gave them opportunities to “pay it forward”.  He extended his services at the center to include youth obesity.  “The crime rate in downtown St. Louis started going down, the kids we coached would come back to us and ask for help finding jobs.”  He and Angela ran the fitness center until 2009 when the parish was taken over by a different priest who had a different vision for the space.   James continued to help those kids that would come back though, he decided to open a business that offered janitorial and painting services.  This gave those kids employment and when asked what they could do to repay his kindness he said, “Pay It Forward” and help other underprivileged kids rise up.  He and Angela continued to expand the business and moved into real estate total rehabilitation building to provide more jobs.

James in now retired and lives with his wife in Shiloh, IL.  Angela is the CEO for Care St. Louis Health and continues to help others.

The centennial celebration will continue throughout the academic year, and NCMC invites alumni, students, faculty, staff, and our communities to be part of the story. We would love to hear your story about Trenton Junior College/North Central Missouri College. Visit the Centennial Website to submit your own story, memory, or reflection. Whether you walked the halls decades ago or are just beginning your journey, your story is a vital thread in the college’s tapestry, and we want to hear it.

Visit the Centennial Website to explore Trenton Junior College/North Central Missouri College stories, rich history, and discover upcoming events.

Photo: James Clabon