Addiction Recovery

James Bransford, who steered himself and many others away from addiction, dies at 89

Obituary –

AUGUST 15, 2020 – “The nation lost a hero when John Lewis passed away, and our community lost our own hero when Judge Bransford’s father, Jim Bransford, passed away,” Judge Kevin Burke wrote in an e-mail last week to judges in the 4th Judicial District. “Jim did not give up on people.” Bransford was born in Havre de Grace, Md., in 1930, the oldest of five children.

He served in the U.S. Army during the Korean War and earned his bachelor’s degree from Macalester College in biochemistry. In 1957, he married Jeanne Watson and became a biochemist at the Veterans Hospital. But he lost that job when he helped himself to too many free drug samples and his drinking became a problem. After his second car crash, he stashed a flask of whiskey in his leg cast.

“I decided that was addictive behavior. I only decided that in hindsight. I thought it was pretty cool at the time,” Bransford told the Star Tribune in 2008.

more@StarTribune

Leonard Buschel

Recent Posts

Vin Baker Uses Sobriety For Good

GIVING BACK IN STYLE –   April 17, 2024 - “It’s still one day at…

1 day ago

Captain Sandy Tells How Yachting Helped Her Sobriety

RIDING THE WAVE...CALMLY –   April 18, 2024 - “I was 13 years old and…

1 day ago

Hot Broadway Star Overcame Cocaine, Alcohol and Gambling Addictions

VIDEO – NEW YORK STORIES –   April 23, 2024 - Sara Gettelfinger had steadily…

1 day ago

The Endless Quest to Replace Alcohol

TRY IT, YOU’LL LIKE IT –   April 18, 2024 - The rise in “sober…

1 day ago

Anthony Hopkins Planning to Live Beyond 100

AUDIO – SOBER MEN CAN DO THAT –   April 4, 2024 - Acting icon…

1 day ago

Ohtani’s Ex-Interpreter Must Get Gambling Addiction Treatment

I’LL BET HE GOES TO GA (not Georgia) –   April 13, 2024 -The initial…

1 day ago