James Eugene Vinick

James Eugene Vinick
James Vinick, 84, of Longmeadow, MA, passed away on June 10, 2025. Born November 23, 1940, he was the son of Anne and Leonard Vinick.
Known affectionately as “Big Jim” to family. Jim led a life defined by boundless energy, success, and service to his community. He was a man of purpose who did things his way—with pride, humor, and often in his Jaguar convertible.
Jim grew up in Springfield, MA, next to Forest Park, and began his working life helping at his family’s business, NeWay Cleaners. At age 32, he launched a distinguished, 50+ year career in financial services. A disciple of Sandy Weil, Jim began his career in New York City at Shearson, Hammill & Co., rising through the ranks to lead the fixed income program when the firm was known as Shearson American Express. He also held leadership roles at Dean Witter Reynolds, Advest Corp., and as Managing Director of Investments Moors & Cabot. During this time in the industry, Jim became a trusted public voice on finance, appearing for over 20 years on ABC Channel 40 and authoring “The Vinick Report” to promote financial literacy. His dedication to his career was so complete that he worked to ensure his clients were properly attended to from his hospital bed in his final days.
Jim dedicated more than 60 years of service to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Starting as a volunteer at 17 years old, he went on to serve as Treasurer of the Hall, as well as a member of both the Board of Trustees and Board of Governors. He toiled tirelessly alongside Lee Williams, the Hall’s first Executive Director, to ensure the organization grew from its infancy to become an established landmark in the Birthplace of Basketball. Later, he worked closely with Bob Cousy, Curt Gowdy, and many others to develop the “River Front,” home of the second BBHOF building in 1983, and then the current state-of-the-art museum in 2002. He established the BBHOF endowment, secured funding necessary to grow the organization and sustain it through difficult periods, and made many personal donations, including a memorial locker room and flagpole honoring his late son Jeffrey. Jim would call the state and city DPWs to ensure the overgrowth was cleared along the roadways near the Hall. In 2010, he was awarded the prestigious Chairman’s Cup by close friend Jerry Colangelo for his lifelong contributions to the Hall. Until his passing, Jim took great pride in his work alongside John Doleva, President and CEO, and the rest of the BBHOF team as they continued to elevate the Hall as a world-class institution on behalf of the sport of basketball.
Jim was also a passionate supporter of the Jimmy Fund and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, raising money and awareness in memory of his son Jeffrey and in honor of his daughter Beth. He commissioned a statue of Dr. Farber and “Jimmy” that now stands outside Dana-Farber. He was proudly involved in organizing the Jeffrey Vinick Memorial Golf Tournament for 40 years, one of the country’s most successful charity tournaments, and received the Bob Cheyne Lifetime Achievement Award.
Through his work for the Jimmy Fund, he befriended Red Sox legend Ted Williams. Beyond charity work, Jim and Ted spent time together in Florida and Longmeadow, with Jim eventually purchasing the rights to Ted’s life story. Jim shared his love of Ted and the Sox with family and friends. Often giving away his tickets or attending many games at Fenway with his son Michael and grandsons Max and Ty, including the 2013 World Series clinching win.
Jim was a proud Boston University alumnus, where both he and his wife Harriett were multi-sport student athletes. He was an active contributor to the School of Management’s alumni leadership and a part of the building committee of the Boston University Questrom School of Management - Rafik B. Hariri Building, which opened in 1996. In 2000 Jim was honored as an Outstanding Alumni.
Jim was a lifelong contributor to countless organizations. Jim also served on the board of many other community institutions, including the Jewish Geriatric Services in Longmeadow, Temple Beth El, and the Willie Ross School for the Deaf. In 2013, he was honored as a BusinessWest “Difference Maker” for his efforts throughout the Western Mass region.
He was predeceased by his wife Harriett (Thal) Vinick (1984), his son Jeffrey Marc Vinick (1982), and his brother Alan Vinick (2022). He leaves behind his daughter Beth Vinick of Tucson, AZ; grandchildren Brent Hayashi of Tucson, AZ and Darcy Hayashi of South Korea; his son Michael Vinick and wife Stacey Nath-Vinick of Suffield, CT; grandsons Max Vinick of New York, NY and Ty Vinick of Cambridge, MA. “Papa Jim” was a devoted grandfather, ever-present at games and milestones. He also leaves his dear friend Margie Koft of Farmington, CT.
Donations in Jim’s memory can be made to The Jimmy Fund, BBHOF or any of the charitable organizations listed above. Contributions in multiples of 18 (Chai) are especially meaningful in Jewish tradition, symbolizing “life.”
Funeral arrangements will be held on June 16, 11:00am, at Ascher-Zimmerman Funeral Home, 44 Sumner Ave, Springfield, MA, with burial at Temple Beth El Cemetery, 366 Kings Highway, West Springfield. Shiva will be observed at 74 Prynne Ridge Road, Longmeadow, MA, on the night of the burial and the following evening at 7:00pm.