The word “passion” is used much too loosely in the current culture of celebrity and hyperbole.  But in a letter recommending Jim O’Connor for a Descartes Medal, it is a word clearly used in a deliberate and heartfelt way.  Jim is passionate both about the teaching of mathematics and the study of it.
For more than 30 years Jim has taught mathematics in North Bay high schools - 22 years at Chippewa S. S. He took one four year break from the Near North Board to teach in West Germany. He has been a department head, a member of several professional associations and a supporter of mathematics contests. Like so many of our other medallists, Jim has always taken his enthusiasm for students beyond the classroom - as a coach and advisor for groups as divergent as the chess club and the football team.
Jim is married with three children and one granddaughter. He enjoys jogging, home renovation, and, in his own words: "writing mathematics". Without giving away too much, we can safely say that he is at an age and level of experience where he could retire, but isn't interested in leaving the classroom or the challenges of teaching mathematics.