NATCHITOCHES – Military service as World War II ended interrupted Jim Willis' two-sport Northwestern State athletic career, but nothing could sever the deep-seated admiration he had for his alma mater.
 
Willis, Northwestern's first Major League Baseball player, passed away Saturday at 98 near his longtime home of Boyce. Visitation is set for 5-8 p.m. Friday with services at 11 a.m. Saturday at John Kramer & Son Funeral Home in Alexandria.
 
A baseball and basketball player whose collegiate careers were altered by his service, Willis began his Northwestern career in 1944 before serving his country in Germany toward the end of the war.
 
He returned to play both basketball and baseball for the Demons, experiencing success on both fronts before becoming the first Demon to reach Major League Baseball, spending two seasons with the Chicago Cubs from 1953-54.
 
Following his athletic career, Willis transitioned into twin family businesses – teaching and farming – both of which were natural fits for the Doyline native.
 
"He came from a family of teachers," said Aza Willis Walker, one of Willis' and his late wife, Dixie's, four children. "We wrote in his obituary it was a natural transition when he finished baseball. His mother was a teacher. His great-grandfather built a school. His great uncle, James W. Nicholson, was president of LSU. He always enjoyed teaching people about something and always wanted people to learn."
 
Perhaps portending his future on the diamond, Willis took part in the European Theater League during his time in Germany, playing at military bases in Germany and France. One of his teammates in Europe, Bob Rush, eventually became his teammate with the Cubs.
 
Willis' two-season stint with the Cubs saw him toss two complete games in three starts during the 1953 season, going 2-1 with a 3.12 ERA. His Chicago tenure saw him appear in 27 games with four starts, showcasing his versatility on the mound.
 
Those 27 games nearly never happened as Roy Johnson, the Cubs third base coach, had to travel to Boyce to convince Willis to return to baseball. Coincidentally, the first pitch of Willis' major league career came against another Louisiana native, Joe Adcock of Coushatta.
 
That meeting led to a fun exchange decades later when the two ran into each other at a horse-racing track near Lafayette with the two arguing over the outcome of the at-bat. Adcock swore it was a home run while Willis retorted it was a grounder back to the pitcher.
 
A 1976 N-Club Hall of Fame inductee whose No. 28 jersey was retired in 2009, Willis was not one for bragging about his big-league career.
 
"When we were little, he didn't talk about it much," said Walker, whose thoughts were echoed by her sister. "Daddy never wanted to be one of those old athletes who talked about what they used to do. It's funny, I met my now-husband at 15. He found out about daddy's baseball card, and he started asking him a lot of questions. That's when I found out most of it."
 
Following his service in World War II, Willis returned to Natchitoches and was part of the resumption of the Demon baseball program, helping Northwestern post a 12-9 mark in 1949.
 
He was equally as productive on the basketball court at Northwestern. As a guard, Willis helped the 1948-49 Demon squad post a 23-5 record, win the Gulf States Conference championship and reach the NAIA Tournament semifinals – a run that included a quarterfinal victory against BYU.
 
Willis' time on the hardcourt was shared with John McConathy, himself an NBA first-round draft pick and father of eventual Demon head basketball coach Mike McConathy.
 
The younger McConathy recalled seeing Willis during several Demon basketball reunions the coach held during his tenure with the two forging a friendship.
 
"My dad had a tremendous amount of respect for his ability as a player but also as a man," Mike McConathy said. "Being around him and seeing him from time to time at different alumni functions, you could tell he was very well respected, and that was pretty special. You learn a lot by the number of people, when they come back, how they are received by other team members. There was always a lot of respect for him."
 
Willis' Demon baseball legacy opened the door for six more Northwestern alums to reach baseball's pinnacle, but his post-playing career – one that saw him become a beloved educator – drew him the same reaction as it did from his fellow Demon athletic alumni.
 
That included the ability to befriend nearly anyone from an eventual university president to his students.
 
"Bobby Alost was a good friend of his," said Sally Willis Barden, the third of Willis' four children. "I was working a summer student job in the admissions office with Walter Ledet. One day, Bobby Alost saw my nametag and asked if I was related to Jim Willis. I said, 'That's my dad.' He said, 'I saw your daddy and (brother) Frank, and I asked Frank how fast your dad could throw a baseball?' He said, 'As fast as a 22 bullet.'
 
"I was coming home on the weekends, and I told Daddy about it. He said, 'Next time you see Bobby Alost, tell him I need someone to come haul pulp wood.' Bobby almost fell down laughing. They always had a lot of fun. (Willis) always said, 'If you can't have fun, don't do it.' For his birthday party, he'd say, 'No gifts. Just come happy. If you're not happy, don't come.'"
 
Both Barden and Walker earned degrees from Northwestern, lengthening the family legacy.
 
That connection continued when Barden's daughter, Susan Culley Barden, attended the Louisiana Scholars College and was part of the Spirit of Northwestern marching band.
 
Susan Barden found a perfect way to honor her grandfather several years ago, printing a Willis No. 28 Chicago Cubs jersey and posing for a picture in front of the famous Wrigley Field marquee.
 
The roots of this branch of the Willis family began at then-Louisiana Normal College when Jim met Dixie James, who was the Homecoming queen. The pair later married and settled in Boyce.
 
With Willis' family maintaining property in Webster Parish, trips to and through Natchitoches were commonplace, which allowed Willis to remain connected to his alma mater.
 
"(Northwestern) meant a great, great deal to him," Walker said. "Northwestern always honored him. (Former assistant athletic director and current special assistant to the president) Doug Ireland was incredible. It was such a huge part of him. He had a cabin in north Louisiana, and every time we would travel up there, we'd go by NSU. We did it a million times. I was there when his number was retired. We went and took pictures of him by the retired number. They invited him to throw out the first pitch at a baseball game in his later years. He still had it, and it meant the world to him.
 
"He loved coach (H. Lee) Prather. He loved everything about Natchitoches. Northwestern meant so, so much to him."