Episode Details

“I am FEARLESS, willing to take on any project and get it done. I’ve lived by this my whole life (92 years old), whether I knew it or not.” — Jim Paulk 

Episode Summary 

At 92, Jim Paulk has lived enough lives for several people — Naval Academy graduate, submarine engineering officer, 26-year Procter & Gamble executive, marine conservationist, and published author. In this Ship’s Log, he traces a path that started in Depression-era Brunswick, Georgia, where a teenager who loved hunting, fishing, and golf set his sights on Annapolis — and got in only after two years of trying, with a phone call that came while he was mid-round at a golf tournament. 

From submarines that ran silent on battery power to a five-month campaign that banned destructive gillnets across California, Jim tells stories most people have never heard. He explains how a ragtag committee of retirees “created the perception of success,” flew the state dark-to-dark to win a ballot initiative, and helped launch a white-seabass restoration program still running today. Along the way he shares the love story behind nearly six decades with his late wife, Pat, and how a chance Cracker Barrel encounter with The Platters became a chapter in one of his books. 

The episode closes with Two Truths & A Lie, where Jim reveals that the most cinematic claim of all — three days on the moon with Apollo 16 — was the lie. The truth behind it is even better: that’s astronaut Charlie Duke’s story, which Jim wrote for his book of 81 Naval Academy stories, interviewing Duke alongside his own granddaughter. 

Guest Bio 

Jim Paulk is a 1957 Naval Academy graduate, former submarine officer, and 26-year Procter & Gamble executive who later spent nearly a decade leading marine conservation efforts on the California coast. After retiring, he became an author, writing books that collect remarkable true stories — including one featuring 81 stories from 59 of his Naval Academy classmates. At 92, he’s still writing and still chasing the next project. He lives near Kingsland, Georgia. 

Guest Links 

Book — Shaking Up the World:  https://a.co/d/KyS3rh 

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/share/16FQCN7Kjg/ 

Guest CTA 

Get a copy of Jim’s book Shaking Up the World:  https://a.co/d/KyS3rh 

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