Yukon who is who

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James Archie Close (1934 - 2001)	
	
Jim Close was born in Mayo and was a third generation Yukoner. At age eleven he was hauling wood and water around Mayo. He and his brother Al pulled a 250-gallon tank from door to door selling water at twenty-five cents for two five-gallon pails. At age fourteen he was working as a dishwasher on the //SS Keno.//((//Hansard,// Yukon Government, 3 December 2001.)) He worked as a mess boy on the steamer //Klondike// and trapped in the Minto Lake area. He drove the mail truck and hauled freight to the mining companies for Tommy Campbell. He worked on the Dempster Highway with the cat trains, first as a skinner and later as a foreman.(("James Archie Close." //Yukon News// (Whitehorse), 15 August 2001.))

Jim Close received his aircraft engineer's licence and his commercial pilot's licence in the late 1950s. He worked for Ron Connelly of Connelly-Dawson Airways, Pat Callison of Klondike Helicopters, and Hal Kamish of BC Yukon Air Service. He was one of the first pilots to service the Canada Tungsten mine from Watson Lake, flying as a co-pilot with Bud Harbottle and Gord Bartsch in a DC-3 and Cessna 195. He was referred to as “the kid" by the miners because of his youthful appearance.(("James Archie Close." //Yukon News// (Whitehorse), 15 August 2001.)) 

Close formed the Watson Lake Flying Service in 1961 with partner Stan Bridcut and they operated the company in the Yukon, northern B.C., and NWT until 1997 with many pilots and engineers in their employ. Jim was a Mason and a member of the Yukon Order of Pioneers (YOOP) and was involved with a number of community and territorial boards and committees. He was instrumental in the design of the hockey arenas and was involved with minor hockey, refereed senior hockey, curled, and played baseball. He was survived by his wife of forty-one years, Lois, and sons Robert and Franklin.(("James Archie Close." //Yukon News// (Whitehorse), 15 August 2001.))