In Memoriam – Jim Agnew

We are saddened to announce the passing of Jim Agnew on Christmas morning. Jim was the Sacramento Valley Citroën Club Treasurer. He battled stage 4 esophageal cancer for the past 6 months of his life. At the time of his passing all of his family were by his side.

Jim lived in Rocklin CA, and had been employed for the past 13 years as the Senior Seismologist/Section Chief at the California Dept. of Water Resources in Sacramento. (DWR’s Earthquake Engineering Section operates & maintains a large strong-motion seismic monitoring network for the California State Water Project (SWP), consisting of accelerometers (motion sensors) connected to dataloggers (recorders), all of which feed into their central data processing lab in downtown Sacramento. The sensors are attached to dams, pumping plants, generating plants, siphons, aqueducts and other structures along the State Water Project. DWR also runs 22 free field weak-motion seismometer stations, which are used to detect and locate earthquakes, and to assign magnitudes to them.)

Prior to his employment at DWP, Jim worked for the California Geological Survey as an Associate Seismologist for 7-1/2 years.

And prior to the CGS, Jim worked for Woodward-Clyde Federal Services as Project Manager – Geophysics for almost 12 years. There, i Las Vegas Nevada, he worked on the Yucca Mountain High-level Nuclear Waste Repository project in Las Vegas, Nevada, wrote & edited geological reports, prepared Test Interference Evaluations, and led tours of the Yucca Mountain site for the public.

In fact, Geophysics and Seismology were Jim’s professional life from the beginning of his career. He started at Woodward-Clyde Consultants as Project Manager – Geophysics/Seismology and for the first 11 years worked in such locations as; Alaska, Louisiana, New Jersey, New York, and Connecticut, during which he planned, installed and maintained various weak- and strong- motion seismic monitoring networks for State, Federal and Private industry in Alaska (Alaska Power Authority), Louisiana (USDOE, Gas Research Institute), New York (EPRI, ConEdison Indian Point Nuclear Plant, RG&E Ginna Nuclear Plant).

Jim’s educational background included; a Master’s Degree – Field Of Study Geophysics and Seismology at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, a Bachelor’s Degree from the State University of New York College at Potsdam, and Field Of Study Pre-Medicine/Pre-Medical Studies at the University of Rochester.

With Jim’s science involvement, one can understand why he was fascinated by Citroen’s engineering and why they were a significant part of his life outside of work.

Jim owned many Citroën DS over the years. He was a very nice fellow, with a vast knowledge of how they worked that he was happy to share with all. Jim was part of a Facebook group called ‘The Rocklin Rebel‘ and had his own Facebook page that is now being monitored by his daughter Aimee Ernest and her husband Richard Ernest.

Jim is survived by his wife, Connie M. Hall Agnew to who he was married for 36 years, his son Jeffry Dixon (Connie’s son by a prior marriage), daughters Aimee Ernest (last name by marriage) and Jessica Zimmerman (also last name by marriage) and 7 grandkids. Jessica posted this lovely poem on Christmas Day just after Jim’s passing;

Christmas Without You

Although it’s sad to reminisce
On Christmases we knew,
This year I shall celebrate
In memory of you.

I’ll put aside my sorrow
With every unshed tear,
And concentrate on all the joy
We shared when you were here.

Our time together taught me
What Christmas time is for,
And that’s what I’ll remember
Until we meet once more.

I love you, Dad. Twinkle a light for me to let me know you’re with me. Merry First Christmas in Heaven.