1. Jessica Franklin
10/10/2016
Profile Story
Word Count: 946
The Man Who Does It All
There isn’t much that Jim Handley hasn’t seen or done in his lifetime. To many, Jim Handley has
accomplished more in his lifetime than most think are possible.
73-year-old Handley grew up in Pine Bluff, Arkansas where he excelled in athletics, earning
himself an All-State title in baseball, basketball and football. His athletic ability did not go
unnoticed, and after graduating from Pine Bluff Jim received a scholarship to Mississippi State
to play all three sports. Of the three, Jim said his favorite was “a toss-up between baseball and
basketball” which made it so hard when the time came for him to choose one over the other.
Following Jim’s sophomore year of baseball, he was offered a contract to play professional
baseball for the New York Mets. Jim decided to sign on “if they gave me a good enough signing
bonus,” he said, and off to New York he went.
Go Mets Go!
Handley describes his time in professional baseball as a “very exciting time” in his life. He spent
three seasons playing for the New York Mets, and during spring training one year in St.
Petersburg Florida he met his wife Veronica. “I was sitting at a table eating dinner at the
Colonial Inn in 1963 after practice” Handley explained, “I opened the door for her and thought to

2. myself that she was the most beautiful girl I’d ever seen in my entire life.” The two were married
seven months later. After marrying Veronica, Handley got his college degree and played 5 more
seasons of professional baseball, three with the Mets and two with the Detroit Tigers. When
asked what the highlight of his career was, Handley answered “the highlight of my career was
being promoted to Triple-A ball and playing with and against hall of fame players such as Gill
Hodges, Sandy Koufax, and Nolan Ryan.” However, just as all good things come to an end so
did his career in professional baseball. Handley had just welcomed his first child Jamie and
decided to pursue a new career in with the Federal Bureau of Investigation. “I felt like I had gone
from a prospect to a suspect in baseball and I had always wanted to be an FBI Agent so I applied
for the FBI,” Handley said, and in the end the FBI was the right choice for him.
Fidelity, Bravery, Integrity
Handleydescribeshisjobwiththe FBIhis“favorite of all the careers”.Whenaskedwhyhe simply
answered“Ifeltlike Iwasmakinga difference insocietyandmakingthe worldasaferplace formy
family.”He wasinspiredtojoinbyhisstep-fatherandrole model,EdwardMoore,whoHandleymarksas
“a good Christianman and Sherriff.”HandleysaidMoore alwaystoldhimwhenhe wasyoungthatif he
had a college educationhe wouldbe anFBIagent,and thisinspiredHandleyhimself tobe one. Handley
wentonto describe himself asa “J. Edgar HooverAgent”whose mostinteresting careermove was
workingonan Indianoccupationat WoundedKnee SouthDakotain1973 and 1975. AlthoughWounded
Knee wasprettyinterestingtoHandley,hisfavoritetime inhiscareerwaswhenhe startedthe first
violentcrimestaskforce inLittle Rock.Handley alsorecalledthe time thathisfamilywatchedhimjump
intothe cockpitof a 727 on national televisionin1979 and arrestan airplane highjacker.Manywould
agree that the FBI wasa verygoodfitfor Handley,includinghiswifeVeronica.“Fidelity,Integrity,and
Braveryis whatthe FBI standsfor,and that describesJimperfectly.”AlthoughHandley isproudof all the

3. workhe accomplishedduringhistime inthe FBI,includingreceivingthree Agentof the YearAwards,
Handleyismostproudof the familyhe builtalongthe way.
A Family Man
Handley,afatherto three daughtersandthree grandchildren,saidthe proudestmomentof hislife was
the birthof hischildrenandgrandchildren.Afterhisretirementfromthe FBI,Handleywentontoaccept
the role as Chief of Police atthe Universityof ArkansasatLittle Rock,while alsoteachinginthe Criminal
Justice Departmentforsevenyears.Althoughhe hasmaintainedabusyschedule,Handleyhastakenthe
time to enjoysome of hisfavorite hobbies,suchas:bow hunting,gardening,andbirdwatchingwithhis
family.Handleydescribedhimselfasan“avid bow hunter”and whenaskedwhyhe enjoyeditsomuch,
he replied “Ienjoybeingoutside andclose tonature andbeingable tosee animal movement upclose
and howtheyoperate; itisveryrelaxingtome.”Handleyhasalsobeenable totravel and see the world
throughouthislife.The favorite of all those placesbeing PolandandAustria,“because mywives’family
isfrom Poland andit wasgreat to see where herfamilyoriginated,andalsomywife lovesthatplace so
it made me happyto see herso happy.”
Can’t GetEnough
Handleytriedretirementbutitdidnot lastlong.Aftera few months boredomgotto him, soHandley
wentto workdoingsecurityforthe Mayor in Benton,Arkansas.Handleystill continuestoinspireothers,
and has remainedsomeone thatothersturntofor advice.“Jimisthe kindof guy that whenhe speaks,
youlisten”saidlongtime familyfriendGraysonWorthington.Othersagree withthatstatementandhis
granddaughterJessicaFranklinwentontodescribe Handleyas“the mostinfluential,inspiring,loving,
and caringperson”that she knows.