JUDGE JIM R. OSBORNE

Jim R. Osborne was born in Vincennes, Indiana. On June 30, 1945, and has been a life long resident. His parents were Marvin A. and Elizabeth (Strohkotter) Osborne, who are both deceased. Judge Osborne graduated from Lincoln High School in 1963, where he served as a class officer, cadet teacher, yearbook staff writer, and was a member of the State ranked football team. Subsequently, he attended Vincennes University where he served as senior class president, was a recipient of the Gold Cord award, and graduated in 1965 with an A.S. Degree. Judge Osborne then attended Indiana State University, where he was a member of the Pi Gamma Mu Social Studies Honor Fraternity. He completed his student teaching at Lawrenceville High School in Lawrenceville, Illinois. He then graduated from Indiana State University in 1967 with a B.S. Degree in Social Studies.

He then returned to Vincennes where he was hired as a teacher at his old alma mater, Lincoln High School. There he taught social studies and coached the cross-country team, who, in 1969, made the State Finals. Judge Osborne taught at Lincoln High School from 1967 to 1971, at which time he resigned to enter law school at Indiana University School of Law in Indianapolis. While in law school, he worked as a clerk in the State Treasurer’s Office. He graduated from I.U. Law School in 1974 with a Doctorate of Jurisprudence. In 1975 Judge Osborne returned to Vincennes to become an associate attorney with the Robert McCormick Law Office and served as Knox County Deputy Prosecutor from 1975 to 1976. In 1976, he was appointed by Circuit Court Judge, Ernest Tilly, as the first Judge of the Knox County Court and was elected to his first term in 1977. In 1985 the Knox County Court, by statute, was converted to the Knox Superior Court II, where Judge Osborne is now serving his 24th year on the bench. He is married to the former Linda von der Lieth and has one daughter, Rachel, who is 8 years old.

Judge Osborne has been involved in numerous organizations and civic activities, some of which include, 12 years as a Board member of the Indiana Judicial Center, Executive Director of the Knox County Drug and Alcohol Referral Program, and a member of the Community Corrections Advisory Board. He is a member of the Indiana Juvenile Judges Association, the Indiana State Bar Association and the Knox County Bar Association. He has served 21 years as a board member and past President of the Salvation Army Board. He is a member and past President of Kiwanis and a member and past President of the Vincennes University Alumni Association. He is a board member of the Old Northwest Corporation and serves as its Vice-President. He is a member of the Vincennes Sister Cities Board of Directors and a Vincennes University Foundation Board member since 1985. He is a member of the Fort Knox II Committee of the Indiana State Historical Society and History Committee of the Evansville Museum. Judge Osborne is the President of the Indiana Military Museum and Chairman of its Board of Directors. Currently, he is serving as a Captain in the Judge Advocate branch of the Indiana Guard Reserve.

Judge Osborne has been an avid military collector and historian all of his life, which has led to the development of an extensive collection of historical and military artifacts. His intense interest in military history has taken him all over the world, visiting museums, battle sites, and war monuments. His efforts to collect and preserve historical artifacts have lead him to contacts with numerous historical personalities, including participants in all U.S. related wars, from the Spanish American to the present, as well as significant military commanders of WWII, including American, British and German Generals and Admirals. His dedication to the preservation of history led him to the establishment of the Indiana Military Museum in 1982, as a not-for-profit corporation. Its purpose is to preserve and display significant military artifacts and memorabilia he has collected through his travels. Both his collection and the museum have been the subject of numerous programs and coverage both local and nation wide, including CBS "America Tonight" and "Good Morning America" with Joan Lunden. Judge Osborne led an expedition in 1986 into Hitler’s notorious underground bunker at Berchtefgaden in Germany, which was given extensive coverage in the international military history magazine, After the Battle. Many of the tanks and other vehicles in the museum have been utilized both in local festivities and Hollywood movies, including "Blues Brothers," "Road Raiders," "A League of Their Own," and most recently "Betaville" which has yet to be released. Judge Osborne also collaborated in the writing of To Win the War, an illustrated book about Home Front memorabilia. He continues to nurture the love of history in our youth through the museum and by assisting them, when asked, in their educational endeavors.

Distinguished Alumni 1999

Class of 1963