James Accomazzo

Inducted in 2010

Mar 1

Tolleson - Maricopa County

Inducted in 2010

James Mark "Jimmy" Accomazzo was an Arizona native. Named for his great-uncle James Tyler and his father, Jimmy was destined to work the land. It was his heritage. He came from a line of farming families on both sides. His deep connection to the land was evident from a young age, and it would profoundly shape his future.

Jimmy's early years were steeped in the rhythms of farm life. Born when his parents resided on a small property at the corner of 83rd Avenue and Broadway in Phoenix, he soon found himself on an 80-acre farm just west of Glendale on Northern Avenue. At age five, the family purchased land in Laveen, shaping Jimmy's future and deep-rooted connection to the land.

Like most kids, Jimmy had vivid childhood memories, mostly good but a couple scary. In an oral history, before he died in 1993, Jimmy recounted some of his early memories of the property in Northern Ireland. He recalled when he and his mother did something with pipes next to the house. "My mother lit a match, and the whole house burst into flames with my youngest sister, Anne, who could only crawl inside the house. We hollered for Daddy, and he ran into the burning house and came out with Anne all on fire. He laid her on the grass and rubbed the fiery hair from her head." An adventurous child, Jimmy also remembered when he started one of his father's tractors when no one was around. "The only way I got it stopped was after I had run over all the oil barrels, the tractor ran into a pile of trash, and the engine died."

The family moved to the property in Laveen in 1952. The place looked like a forest of mesquite trees. His father spent the next 15 years developing the farm into cultivation. Jimmy's father, an immense influence in his life, instilled in him a robust work ethic from a young age. "Daddy took me every place he went. He never once treated me like a child. He taught me how to do a man's work when I was ten. I drove tractors, combines, pickups, and caterpillars proficiently by the time I was 12."

His mother was a great supporter of FFA and entered each of the children into the organization when they were old enough to participate. She encouraged Jimmy to participate actively in Tolleson High School's program. He served as FFA Chapter president and FFA State Association vice president and earned the State Farmer Degree. He and his sisters, Peggy and Anne, all won state contests that sent them to the 4-H Congress in Chicago. He graduated from Tolleson Union High School in 1965.

In 1957, the family's life was turned upside down when Jimmy's father nearly died. He spent seven months in St. Joseph's and Veteran's Hospitals. During this trying time, his mother had to sell farm equipment to keep the family afloat. This period tested Jimmy's resilience and commitment to his family, as he took on the role of the man of the house at a young age, demonstrating his strong sense of responsibility. For Jimmy, the experience had its pluses. "I particularly enjoyed the feeling of being the man of the house. I was ten then but could do all the irrigating and whatever else had to be done in our farming operation. I remember irrigating and driving our 1954 Ford pickup back and forth from the well to the field, irrigating whatever borders I could after school and on weekends. One particular time, my Aunt Helen, who had often stayed with us while Daddy was in the hospital, told me that I was driving the pickup too fast. I told her I didn't need any Kruse telling me how to run the farm. That statement got me into lots of trouble. The most rewarding years came after Daddy got well, and we started farming again." The senior Accomazzo taught Jimmy how to weld, use a torch, drive straight borders, and furrow, skills that would serve him well throughout his life. He also credited Clair Decker, his Vocational Agriculture teacher in FFA, for many of his skills.

Jimmy would run the family combine and do custom tillage work for others through the summer months. His sisters were not exempt from hard work during those years. They, too, were kept busy on the farm, but all three were given time to participate in FFA and 4-H activities. Although not a citrus farmer, Jimmy knew how to turn lemons into lemonade. He had earned two scholarships to attend the University of Arizona, but distractions in his personal life caused him to drop out. He tried Glendale Community College but left before graduation. The move proved advantageous because, in 1971, he could buy the land in Tolleson, where his family still farms, before the astronomical increase in land values.

In 1972, Jimmy's sister introduced him to a young woman she worked with at Stockman's Western Wear in Phoenix. He and Jacquelynn Carol Trotter were married in 1972. The young couple moved into a mobile home on the Tolleson property. Two years later, they built a house next door along with their shop headquarters.

In the beginning, they planted cotton. In 1981, Jimmy and Ron Rayner bought the Farmer's Gin, which Jimmy ran. Jimmy gradually switched to hay. His wholesale marketing operation began in 1986. By 1993, they had 2500 acres of owned and leased land planted in rotating cotton crops, alfalfa, small grains, and hay. Today, the Accomazzo family's farm grows approximately six thousand acres of alfalfa, cotton, grain, and corn.

FFA continued to have a role in his life throughout the years. He encouraged Jacque to become involved, and their sons, Wade and Scott, actively participated. Jimmy initiated the FFA scholarship program at Tolleson Union High School.

James Accomazzo served his community in many ways, including being appointed to the Riparian Area Advisory Committee by Governor Fife Symington in 1992 and an appointment to the Estrella Joint Planning Committee by Phoenix Mayor Terry Goddard in 1986. He was a member of the SRP Council and belonged to the Cowman's Club of Phoenix; he was a sustaining member of the Sheriff's Mountain Posse of Maricopa County and sponsored and coached Little League Baseball.