Jim Munn, the longtime Gloucester High track coach, community activist, writer and regular Opinion page contributor to the Times, has passed away after a near six-month battle with brain cancer.
Munn, 72, passed away Sunday, some four months after he announced his resignation from his coaching post at the high school.
Since that time, he had also been very open about confronting his disease and his pending death, including through some of his "My View" columns that appeared in the Times.
Munn, who was honored and greeted by some 200 well-wishers in a special Gloucester Fishermen's Athletic Association reception at Cruiseport Gloucester in November, compiled a record of 235 victories against just nine losses in his GHS coaching career.
Yet — at that reception, as in his coaching and teaching — he emphasized not the wins and losses, but the life lessons gained by athletes regarding teamwork and working together, as learned on the athletic field.
Beyond sports, Munn became one of Gloucester's biggest boosters, not only writing about the plight of Gloucester fishermen and other community issues, but playing a lead role in pressing to showcase the documentary film "Truth: Fisheries Crisis or Government Mismanagement" in the city.
Ultimately, Mayor Carolyn Kirk and the city hosted a screening of the film at Gloucester High, in addition to its showings at Cape Ann Community Cinema.
He also helped spark the GFAA's Newell Renewal stadium project, yet never hesitated to make known his displeasure that the city now charges user fees to the student-athletes who make up Gloucester High's teams.
We will update this story here at gloucetsertimes.com as more information becomes available. For more coverage, look to tomorrow's print and online editions of the Gloucester Daily Times and gloucestertimes.com.
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