Jimmy Locklear

I’m happy to share with you that I’ve recently published Book 4 of my Solitude Wisdom Series that invites you to follow Jesus as he shows up in the lives of people just when they are looking for an answer. The Hip-Hop and Country Artist Jelly Roll has a number one song currently titled “Save Me” where he asks for “somebody to save me from myself.” Many of the people that Jesus appears to in these reflections from the Gospels seem to be looking for somebody to save them from themselves or from a very hard situation. As I began collecting these 30 scenes like photos in an album, I was impressed with how Jesus had such a sense of urgency to show up for people as they were talking about him, looking for him, or seeking him. My hope is that as you take time to look at and reflect upon these scenes that you will seek Jesus and that he will show up for you. Whether you are alone or in a small group, I believe you will be able to find those to identify with in these scenes.

The name of the book is “Heart Journey 4 – Scenes of the Messiah: 30 In-Depth Reflections on Encounters with Jesus” It is available here on my Amazon page.

The Cover Image is titled Supper of Emmaus by Rembrandt van Rijn and was painted in 1648. I’ve had a framed print of this painting on my desk for many years

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Dramatic Heart Attack Experience is Basis for New Book

Atlanta resident writes first-hand account of suffering a heart attack while in Montreal, QC, Canada early in 2013

Readers get a rare glimpse into the patient experience as Locklear shares the details of his major heart attack and treatment that saved his life in Sacred Heart Hospital in Montreal. He takes you inside the operating room as he narrates what was happening as the medical team worked to save his life.

"Almost like the heart attack itself, the idea and demand for this story has been a total surprise," said Decatur, GA-resident Jimmy Locklear, about his new book Sacred Heart Attack: A Dramatic Account of an American Heart Attack Victim in Montreal. "As a long-time professional writer and marketer, I had worked on book ideas before, but this was one of the easiest manuscripts that I ever attempted to write."

Since writing and publishing that first book in 2013, I've written over ten more books. Again, this has been a surprising and rewarding journey for me. And I've been able to help several others write, edit and publish their own books along the way. You can find all of my books on my Amazon page or by contacting me.

Along with writing, since 2015, I've worked for the amazing Atlanta Braves National Baseball Team in guest services and retail operations. Working for the Braves has been a fun and rewarding experience as I've met thousands of guests and fans from around the world. And along the way, I received a World Championship Ring after the Braves won the 2021 World Series!

Writing is still the way that I process life and share my thoughts and feelings. Words are very important to me. I take every publishing project seriously and try to write in a way that easily accessible to every reader. I view my writing like a converation you and I would have on our backyard patio.

"I have been a marathon runner, mostly healthy eater and only 60-years-old when the attack occurred. I was shocked. Shortly after returning home, I began writing a journal of my experience of the heart attack; rushing to the ER, emergency procedures to break up the 100% blocked "widow-maker" artery, and my time in the Sacred Heart Hospital in Montreal. Subsequently, I began posting short chapters on my website and the response was amazing," said Locklear.

Locklear published his second book "Heart Journey" right after the heart attack book. He had been working on Heart Journey, but had lacked the focus to finish it and publish. There's a certain amount of anxiety around publishing a book because you don't know what people will say about the book or the author. Locklear had always written and had deep desires to share my life experiences and reflections in a book. He now encourages others to write their stories even if just for themselves. And he's experimenting with a workshop for folks on journaling and writing personal stories.

Along with being a writer, Locklear was a public relations and marketing executive in Atlanta for over 25 years. He was in Montreal for a workshop with the international organization known as L'Arche ("the Ark" in French) that focuses on building inclusive communities where adults with disabilities play a core part. Jimmy Locklear has a passion for spiritual topics associated with living from our true selves. His second book, Heart Journey, was published in 2013. Locklear is married and father of three sons and has one daughter-in-law and two granddaughters. He is a church elder, patron of the arts and Atlanta Braves Gameday Staff member. A native of Chattanooga, he and his wife, Jenny, live in Atlanta.

Hixson Native Jimmy Locklear Publishes Detailed Book Of Hometown Memories

Sunday, December 12, 2021 - by Jim Ashley

Anyone who grew up in Hixson during the fifties and sixties will love Jimmy Locklear's latest book Schoolboy, Living a Big Life in a Small Town.

An Atlanta-based author who grew up in Hixson, including Hamillville, Locklear has written and had published nine books, including his most popular Sacred Heart Attack: A Dramatic Account of an American Heart Attack Victim in Montreal.

Schoolboy, however, is more than a book.

It is also a meticulous diary of the author's life in Hixson that he recalls vividly in descriptive words and active verbs that make his story come alive. The book's voluminous detail is remarkable and will actually amaze the reader.

Among those details are dozens of names of people, including teachers and coaches, who grew up in Hixson during the fifties and sixties that actually appear like a Who's Who in Jimmy Locklear's life. Not surprisingly, my oldest sister, Wanda, and I are among those who lived in Hamillville on Crescent Club Drive, where Locklear also lived for a while with his family in the late 1950s: “The Ashley's – Jimmy and Wanda – lived across the street, and Rodney and Danny Crye lived a couple of houses down the street.”

Hamillville, Locklear notes, “included a country store that we could ride our bikes to and buy cokes, peanuts and candy bars.” That store was located at the intersection of Crescent Club Drive and Hamill Road.

Across from the store was Cliff Adams' tiny Esso gas station and not far up the street near the railroad crossing was Robbie's Barber Shop, which was built in the mid sixties.

Among the names of other friends and neighbors on Crescent Club Drive, Locklear writes, “lived Chuck Thornton, Gail Wilson, Steve Bearden and Robert Young.” All of whom, noted the author, “rode on the school bus driven by “Tooter” Marshall at some point.”

“Tooter” also drove the bus for the Hixson Wildcats football team to all away ball games, and Locklear notes that fact later in his book when writing about his experiences as a Wildcat on the gridiron.

Prominent in Schoolboy is Locklear's Christian faith, which, he notes, led to his being honored as “Hixson High Christian Athlete of the Year” in 70” and becoming involved with “evangelical ministry on high school and college campuses and involvement in leadership in para-church organizations.”

Among the dozens of names of Locklear's friends mentioned in the book are David Sessoms, a football team mate, and his brothers, Greg and Bo Sessoms. He also writes about his sister, Debbie, and brother, Billy, who was a standout running back at Hixson. The author also mentions other Wildcat football players, Skipper Eldridge and Doug Lewis and Ray Bell.

Additionally, Locklear writes about Wildcat football coaches, Tony Matusek, Tony Martino, Joel Brewster, Willard Mitchem and Tim Gooden.

Of Matusek, the author, who was a sophomore, notes: “This was going to be Anthony M. Matusek's last year as head football coach. Hixson still ran the single-wing offense. … I enjoyed practice and was able to dress in uniform for a few games.”

The football team, Locklear noted, “had a good season for Coach Matusek, finishing 6-3-1 and winning the county's Hamilton Interscholastic League Championship.”

The author also notes in his book his own successes playing football, track and basketball at Hixson and adds a few words about a comical incident.

“I had a handful of outstanding games during my senior season. The first was homecoming when we beat Whitwell 22-6. My claim to fame here started before the game. The cheerleaders had made a beautiful banner that was displayed under the crossbar of the goal posts for the team to run through. The seniors were up front for this game and somebody told me to lead the team out.

“I was waiting behind the goalposts, and someone gave the signal to go! Unfortunately, the hadn't given the same signal to the cheerleaders and color guard. I burst through the banner and ran into a couple of color guard members and a cheerleader.”

Locklear also mentions in his book a somewhat humorous incident involving him throwing a book and accidentally breaking a window in Mr. Gooden's classroom. He explains that he was aiming for some students in the window of Arthur Butler's Tennessee History Class above Mr. Gooden's class.

Because Locklear had been on his way to Mr. Cumming's class, he had to report to him and explain what had happened. Before the class ended, the author painfully recalls, Mr. Cummings “asked me to bend over and hold on the the edge of his desk. He stood up and walked over to my side and wound up with his paddle and swung it hard....

“That was a day that I never forgot, and I'm sure I, in fact, did learn some lessons that day and for years to come.”

School Boy is only 94 pages but is filled with an abundance of Hixson history and memories that take the reader back in time to a place that should never be forgotten.