was born on September 24, 1936, in Greenville, Mississippi. He moved to Maryland in fifth grade and throughout his childhood had a strong interest in both art and television. His grandmother was very supportive of his interests and constantly encouraged him to use his imagination. In 1954 Jim started in television performing puppets on a local channel’s Saturday morning program. The next year, while studying at the University of Maryland, he was given a five-minute show called Sam and Friends which aired twice a day. This show introduced t ....