Teen who beat medical expectations mourned

Wednesday, June 1, 2005 | 11:09 a.m.

In his only time at bat in organized baseball, Las Vegas High School senior James "Fuj" Dalrymple struck out.

But in life James, stricken from birth with cerebral palsy, regularly hit home runs with those who got to know him and love him.

He overcame not only every obstacle to his dreams of playing baseball and earning his high school diploma, but also many hurdles that constantly threatened his very being.

James Ray Dalrymple died May 24 in his sleep, one day after passing his final exams. His mother will accept his diploma at the June 14 graduation ceremony at the Thomas & Mack Center.

Doctors told his mother, Kristy Dalrymple, her then-infant son would never walk or have the ability to speak and that he would have to be fed via a stomach tube for what was expected to be less than five years of life.

He beat those odds. He walked with a heavy limp. He learned to eat. He talked.

"We would not allow James to feel sorry for himself and he would not allow others to feel sorry for him," his mother said, noting that it was not uncommon for James to cuss out those who exhibited pity toward him. "I always wanted him to be his own man, and he was."

Services for Dalrymple, a resident of 12 years, was scheduled at 3 p.m. today at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Frenchman Hills Ward, 375 N. Hollywood Blvd. Dalrymple will be laid to rest in his No. 14 jersey. Burial will be at Palm Valley View Cemetery, 7600 S. Eastern Ave.

Visitation was scheduled from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. today at the LDS chapel.

"My brother was a fighter from Day 1," said 24-year-old UNLV senior Crystal Dalrymple. "He never gave up. He taught us all to never be afraid to fail. We were blessed to have had him with us for so long."

James' indelible spirit inspired those on the field and in the classroom.

"Fuj (pronounced 'fudge') had just two dreams in life -- to play baseball and to graduate -- and he accomplished both of them," said Sam Thomas, who just completed his seventh year as head coach of the Las Vegas High varsity baseball team, which recently won the Sunrise Northeast Division championship.

"James was everything to our team. He was like another coach, listening at our meetings and helping players take care of their problems."

On April 16, Dalrymple convinced Thomas to put him into that day's game against Palo Verde High to reward him for his four years of hard work as a bat boy.

Despite Dalrymple wearing a leg brace and not being a roster player, Thomas and Palo Verde coach Mike Besser agreed to allow Dalrymple to start in right field and lead off at bat, and then pull him from the game.

"It was amazing -- quite a few people yelling 'Go Fuj, go!' " said James' 31-year-old brother Patrick Lueras, a local tow truck driver. "He was a bit embarrassed as he took the field, but he knew it was his moment in the sun."

No fly balls came his way in the top of the first and, in the bottom of the inning, James pushed the count full before striking out.

"After I took him out, Fuj spent the next six innings begging me to put him back into the game," Thomas said.

"When I was called by his family (several weeks after the game) and was told that Fuj had died, I was shocked," Thomas said. "He seemed so full of life. It was then that I began to learn more about cerebral palsy.

"Fuj actually lived 15 years longer than a person in his condition was supposed to. He was remarkable."

On May 25 each member of the Wildcat baseball team was called out of class and sent to a room where grief counselors were standing by. There, Thomas told them that James had died.

That week, at the Southern Nevada High School All-Star Baseball Game, two of those players, third baseman Shane Gammon and relief pitcher Andrew Pluta, wore No. 14 as a tribute to their friend.

The league's coaches and officials donated the all-star game's $800 gate receipts to the Dalrymple family to help pay for funeral expenses.

Other teammates and classmates worked on huge condolence banners and conducted fundraisers to pay for the burial. James' mother is on disability and says she did not have the funds to pay for a proper service and burial.

"I just did not think James was going to die so suddenly," Kristy Dalrymple said. "But the outpouring of support from James' coaches, classmates and others show just how much he was loved. We are so thankful to them."

Born three months premature on Feb. 1, 1986, in San Leandro, Calif., James spent his first year in a hospital. He was fed through a tube in his stomach until he was 6 years old. About that time, barely able to stand, he began tossing a ball and swinging a bat, his family said.

James earned the Las Vegas High manager of the year award four times and lettered his sophomore, junior and senior years. He often wore his black and red letterman's jacket and baseball jersey to school.

He was popular not only with his teammates but also with their parents.

"James was extraordinary," said Las Vegas Fire & Rescue Deputy Chief Greg Gammon, Shane's father. "The boys on the team took a real liking to him. They helped him improve his baseball skills by playing catch with him.

"When his family moved from the zone his junior year, James did not want to transfer from Las Vegas High. Instead, he took the CAT bus to school each morning, and the coaches and players took turns driving him home after practice each afternoon."

Kristy Dalrymple insisted that if her son wanted to be a part of the team, he had to maintain good grades in his special education class both during and prior to the baseball season.

"He got A's and B's in his classes," she said. "I was proud of him because he had to work so much harder than most other students to accomplish what he did.

"And I am sure that when I go up to get his diploma, I will be full of pride just thinking about him."

The family suggests contributions be made in James Dalrymple's memory to the Cerebral Palsy Foundation.