When Jim Weaver thinks back on his years at 鶹Ƶ, he remembers a campus buzzing with activity — concerts, student events, even a production of the Broadway musical “Hair.” In the mid-1970s, Weaver was at the center of it all.
Today, nearly five decades later, he’s helping create that same sense of community for a new generation of YVC students through an activity he loves: billiards.
Weaver, a Yakima native and longtime business owner, now operates , formerly The Little Dutch Inn, a community mainstay built in 1929. Its legacy of hospitality mirrors Weaver’s own approach to creating places where people feel welcome and can connect.
“We’re committed to providing our community with a warm, friendly space that feels like a home away from home,” Weaver said. “Exceptional service, quality you can rely on — that’s always been our mission.”
During his time at YVC, Weaver served first as vice president and later as president of student government — roles he credits with building his confidence and shaping his future in business.
“Student government helped me get out there. I was pretty quiet when I was a kid,” he said. “Now, I don’t ever shut up.”
Courses in accounting and business management strengthened his entrepreneurial mindset, while faculty, including longtime speech instructor Chuck Weedin, left a lasting impact. By age 21, Weaver had opened his first business — The Dry Dock — and eventually went on to own or operate seven different bar and restaurant establishments throughout his career in the Yakima Valley.
What kept him in the food and bar industry for so long is simple.
“The people,” said Weaver. “It’s a fun business. You get to know so many people.”
Investing in students — and Yakima’s next pool players
Weaver’s connection to YVC’s started almost by accident. According to Dean of Arts and Sciences Tuan Dang, Weaver attended the club’s first tournament in spring 2025 and immediately noticed the students’ excitement.
ABOVE: Rich Fearr, center, shakes hands with a student at a Billiard Club event. Ferr and Weaver helped sponsor the repair of a pool table, pictured here, in YVC's HUB on the Yakima Campus. TOP: Jim Weaver poses for a photo in his bar, The Dutch, in January 2026.
“Jim has been in support of our pool club since it started,” Dang said. “After seeing the energy of the students, he decided to begin supporting the club.”
That support quickly grew. He has donated cues, T‑shirts, pool balls and even an additional pool table. He also refurbished an existing table so that its quality was “like new again.”
Weaver and co-worker Rich Fearr — both lifelong pool players — saw how much the sport had faded locally in recent years. The enthusiasm at YVC sparked a desire to help rebuild a local pipeline of players.
“They’ve set us up with an app that counts tournament activity as league play,” Dang said. “Students will eventually be able to compete in league tournaments as rated players.”
And more is on the way. This spring, The Dutch will host hands-on pool clinics to help YVC students learn core skills such as cue control and ball spin — opening the sport to more beginners and expanding opportunities for student engagement.
“It seemed like a good thing to get involved in,” Weaver said. “There’s never enough activity on campus. It’s really good for people to be involved.”
Weaver’s commitment to YVC students is rooted in his own philosophy: college is richer when students find community.
“When I was in student government … I always thought money should be spread out to everybody,” he said. “Everybody can’t play baseball or basketball. There needs to be something for everyone to be involved in.”
That belief, he said, is part of what keeps him invested in YVC after all these years.
“I’m a big supporter of YVC,” Weaver said. “I think it’s a great college. They do a lot of good work.”
For engineering student Jesús Ochoa‑Jurado, YVC’s Billiards Club has become an unexpected place to build friendships and make sense of physics concepts.
Student and founding member of the Billiard Club Araceli Castaneda takes a shot during a pool tournament while other students look on.
“I’ve been able to meet a bunch of new people,” Ochoa‑Jurado said. “Most of the people I know at YVC are because of this club and my work with Student Life.”
For Ochoa‑Jurado, who is deep into courses like statics, dynamics and physics, pool has become more than a pastime. It’s a hands-on way to visualize the concepts he tackles in class.
“Playing pool is a cool way to apply what I learned,” he said. “Since I play pool, I can kind of visualize it a little better.”
He admits he hadn’t played much before joining the club, but the mix of beginners, experienced players and volunteer instructors like Weaver — has made it welcoming.
“I think it’s pretty cool,” Ochoa‑Jurado said. “Starting to play helped me understand my classes better. And it’s pretty cool that we have alumni from The Dutch teaching us how to play.”
He hopes other small local businesses will stay open to building connections with the college and its students.
“It never hurts,” Weaver said. “You touch somebody, maybe it moves forward. That’s what’s always good.”
For Dang, Weaver’s impact on the Billiards Club is already clear.
“It’s been great having a community sponsor,” Dang said. “The club’s activity on campus has expanded, and students have all the materials, knowledge and enthusiasm to get better. I’ve watched them excel in only a quarter or two.”
Story by Stefanie Menard, AA-DTA ’05, communications consultant. Photos by Menard and Juan Padilla, public relations student assistant.