Welcome...

 Hello!

   Thank you for visiting my site in tribute to my late brother James Alvin Tobias.

     The James Alvin Tobias Memorial Scholarship is a yearly $1000 music scholarship for graduating seniors that have lived in the state of Colorado for their senior year of high school and are planning to attend a four year Music College anywhere in the United States.

     Let me introduce myself.  My name is David Tobias, James's younger brother, and I am pleased to be your guide to the James Alvin Tobias Memorial Scholarship website.  As you read through the pages and view the pictures I am hopeful that you will start to get an understanding of just how wonderful a person James Alvin Tobias was. 

    You might think that I am a little biased in the topic being James's younger sibling.  I assure you that is true only in a family sense, as it will become obvious that as the years go on and more people who knew James find the website and contribute content, his beautiful soul will shine even brighter.
   

     James Alvin Tobias was born in Denver Colorado on July 11th 1967.  He was the third of four children and the first boy born to Roy Hollis Tobias and Gunvor Linnea Tobias.  Younger brother to sisters Linnea Tobias and Lisa Tobias Scott, and older brother to David Tobias. Growing up first in north Denver then in rural Colorado for most of his formidable life, gave James a unique take on the world that he inhabited.

     The bucolic splendor that was rural Colorado inspired James in the many interests that he had at the time and interests that would develop in the future.  In these I mean the love of animals and all things living and his eventual relationship with his Lord and the the beginnings of a life long pursuit of music and rhythm being a percussionist.  Naturally his interests would all come together and make the whole person that James was.

    In his teen and young adult years James was on the cutting edge of the 80's music scene having all the top records.  I remember him having such albums as the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Duran Duran, Inxs, Berlin, Missing Persons, the Fix, and Police.  Being a percussionist I believe that Stewart Copland, the drummer of the Police, had a special place in James's heart. 

    Although he understood the flashy hair and new wave clothes were apart of the act, James was more interested in the top quality musicians that the 80's produced.  Poke fun if you must, but the 80's produced some talented and innovative musicians. 

    With James it was not all about just listening, it was also about dissecting the music like a doctor to see how it was made.  And just like James with his superior intellect, had them worked out in a matter of repetitions and on to something else.  From playing high school football, to high school marching band drum line to The Blue Knights Drum & Bugle Corps to skateboarding to BMX, James was an 80's kid that could do it all!

   Graduating from Ponderosa High School in Parker Colorado, June of 1985, James then enrolled at Denver University that same fall. The same college that our oldest sister, Linnea Tobias went to.  It was a powerful occasion to have two Tobias's enrolled at such a prestigious Colorado institution.  I am sure I would be quite jealous of the memories they shared while together at DU.  James studied music and graduated from DU's Lamont School of Music with a degree in 1991.  

      Having some friends from Seattle that went to college with him, James decided to move there after college in 1993.  Staying a few years he met new and lasting friends and lived a life of a young man on his own in a city that was alive with culture and art and music.  If you know anything about popular music in the early 90's and Seattle, you know that was the place to be, i.e. the grunge music inception. 

     James was always in the right place at the right time all throughout his life when it came to being in the hip locations. The thing about James was that he never went to these places on purpose or to be a part of the "in crowd", he had an innate sense to go where the true creativity was, no matter how popular the place was at the time.

     When James heard the calling to serve his country he joined the Army in 1996.  He competed his basic training at Fort Jackson in South Carolina.  Our sister Lisa Scott went and represented our family as she attended James's graduation from basic training.  James then attends U. S. Army Music school, Virginia Beach VA from November 1996 to April 1997 starting his army career. 

      His first post was at Fort Huachuca in Arizona from April 1997 until June of 1999.  James was then transferred to Yongsan Army base in South Korea.  He served there from June 1999 until June of 2000.  It was in Korea in November of 1999 where he met his future wife Sunhee Park.  They were unofficially engaged in December 2004, and officially engaged  a year later in December 2005.  

     James's next post was in Bamberg Germany. James was stationed in Germany form July 2000 until June 2003.  James was then once again sent to Korea in July of 2003, and stayed there until August 2004. 

     After eight years of active duty, James returned to the University of Denver to earn a masters degree in Library and Information Science  in 2005.  After leaving the regular army, James still felt the call to serve and  joined the Colorado Notional Guard in September 2004 and served until  May of 2006.  James would go on to serve in the Virginia National Guard from  2006 to 2007, and finish his service in the DC National guard from  2007 until 2016.

          In May of 2006 James started at the U.S. Army Center of Military History.  An intern at first, James worked his way up to Sr. Librarian.  It was his dream job and  he was even answering emails from home when he was feeling well enough while battling Lymphoma.

      A devoted member of Trinity Lutheran Church in Bethesda, Maryland, James quickly became an important part of the inner workings of the church sitting on many councils.  Ever the student, James had taken up the Cello a couple of years before he passed.  He was just coming into his own playing string pieces at his church.  

       He will be missed by a great many people, but none more than me, my sisters, my mother Gunvor, and his widow Sunhee Park.  As young brothers go, me and James spent a lot of time together when we were very young, and even into my teenage years. Athough it was not all peaches and cream, they are cherished memories and valuable lessons that he taught me. I just hope I didn't cramp his style too much!!

David Tobias

Younger Brother