Remembering James Kim

CNET senior editor James Kim was found dead Wednesday in the snow-covered mountains of southern Oregon, 11 days after he and his family went missing.

At the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas seven or eight years ago, I ran into a familiar face on the edge of the main floor area. We started chatting about a watch-style organizer he was testing, and although I don't think we could pinpoint exactly how we knew each

other, we hit it off immediately. This fellow who would become my friend was James Kim, and he did the same sort of stuff at TechTV that I did for CNET -- testing products, writing reviews, and so on.

TechTV eventually announced that it would move to L.A. -- just as I was planning a move of my own, from CNET.com to the company's new MP3.com acquisition. James dropped me an e-mail around that time saying that he wanted to stay in San Francisco after TechTV moved to L.A., and that he was considering freelance tech writing -- something he had wanted to do for awhile -- but he didn't think he'd be able to provide well enough for his family by pursuing the freelance lifestyle.

For the sake of his family, he wanted to know whether I knew of any openings at CNET. Less than one minute later, I walked into my boss's office and told her that I had found my replacement, for sure. "This is your guy!" I exclaimed. Out of everyone I knew, he was the most competent, knowledgeable, friendly and responsible man for the job. He had the perfect combination of playfulness and gravity, and there was no doubting his intelligence.

During his interview, he emphasized once again the central importance of family in his life. As alluring as the freelance lifestyle was, and as successful as he would have been at it considering his experience and reputation, he wanted a bulletproof plan for providing for his family and their future.

I relate this story here to demonstrate that James Kim's brave, dogged attempt to find help for his family was no aberration. Far from it. He died as he lived, doing everything he could to provide for those he loved. This was a happy man, confident enough in himself to have had extra concern left over for those around him. I am proud to have known him and will not forget him.

James' body was found Wednesday by one of four helicopters paid for by the family. Although some rescuers had reported seeing a flash of light near him from their helicopter, by the time they arrived at the location, it was too late. I could go on and on about the tragedy of someone so well-loved being found dead after being missing for eleven days, with a full-fledged search not starting until about a week after the Kim family went missing, as well as the fact that the family had to fund the helicopters themselves, but that's not the point right now.

The point is this. During his life, everyone who knew him felt the considerable warmth of James Kim, who died alone in the cold. Nothing could be less fair.