July 28, 2008: Alumni Profile: Get Involved All Over Again!
Jim Lawson
McGregor Alumnus Returns to Serve as McGregor Treasurer and EMT
McGregor Member: 1980 to 1982
and 2007 to Present
“McGregor was one of the outstanding personal and professional experiences in my life. It jumped started my career by a decade when I graduated from UNH. It gave me an entirely new perspective on the importance of commitment and community.”
Biography
Prior to relocating to Durham with his family in 2006, Jim was co-founder and CEO of Acorn Packet Solutions – a leading developer and supplier of communication convergence technology used by the US government. Acorn was acquired by Juniper Networks in 2005. He has also worked extensively with the US government throughout his career in areas involving national defense, intelligence and security. Jim first joined McGregor (then Durham Ambulance Corps) as an EMT-Basic in 1980, while studying electrical engineering at the University of New Hampshire. He received his bachelor’s degree in 1982.
Why did you join McGregor as a volunteer EMT in 1980?
Like many students I wanted to broaden my UNH experience. I was attracted to McGregor by its high community impact, and the quality of the people involved in the organization. Today, I’m never surprised when I learn about the extraordinary accomplishments of McGregor members I knew almost thirty years ago. Remarkably, I find the McGregor membership still has the same great qualities I knew decades ago.
Was it a valuable experience?
The McGregor experience taught me that a team of people can accomplish incredible things when committed to the same goals and vision. I took that experience and confidence into my professional career, and helped build companies with it. The experience also tempered my professional drive with a greater compassion for people, and a greater appreciation of life.
I understand that years after you left McGregor, your EMT skills were called into action.
In 1988, more than five years after leaving McGregor, I was flying to Hawaii when there was a medical emergency on board the plane. We were midway over the Pacific when a passenger became unconscious while in the bathroom. Since the person had collapsed against the door, the flight attendant was unable to open it. We ripped open the door and found him not breathing and blue. I cleared his airway and got him breathing again. Without my McGregor experience, I would have been just another helpless passenger. Instead, I was the one tearing down the door and making a difference. In some way, I think this person’s life was saved not by me, but by McGregor EMS and the legacy of Doc McGregor.
You’ve rejoined McGregor three decades later as our Treasurer and an active EMT. What made you decide to return?
After a successful career as a high tech executive, I was seeking volunteer opportunities that would allow me to make a difference. Returning to McGregor is the perfect fit. As Treasurer of the organization, I can apply the financial and management skills I have developed to help McGregor enhance its financial planning and resources. I know that over time I will get more from McGregor than I can ever contribute to it. For me, it’s a life experience that was great when I was 20 years old, and is just as meaningful as I turned 50.
