Silver Crescent goes to Georgetown County's Tara Hall leader

GEORGETOWN -- Blinking back tears, Jim Dumm accepted a framed certificate and letter written by Gov. Mark Sanford with a hesitation born of surprise.

"I don't know what to say," he said to the boys, board members and staff of Tara Hall gathered Tuesday in the home's dining room.

Dumm was given the S.C. Silver Crescent Award, the state's highest honor for people making contributions to their local communities.

Dumm has been the executive director for Tara Hall, a home for boys ages 6 to 12, for more than 30 years. He also serves as the chairman of the Georgetown County School Board and works with the S.C. Association of Children's Homes, the Waccamaw Center for Mental Health, the S.C. Foster Care Review Board and more.

But Dumm said he never thought aboutgetting an award for what he does.

"You do it for the love of the work," he said. "You never expect something like this."

And his wife, Barbara Dumm, said that humility is part of what makes him a great father figure for the boys of Tara Hall.

"He's not the asking type," she said. "The work, it comes from his heart."

She said she met Jim Dumm when she came to Tara Hall to do volunteer work. She overheard him tell someone that he likely would not marry, marrying Tara Hall instead.

"I knew when I married him that I would have to share him," she said.

"I never regretted it."

Ed Seegar, a member of the Tara Hall board, applied on Jim Dumm's behalf for the award about two months ago.

Seegar said he applied because of the level of dedication Dumm shows to the home.

"He's here every day at 5 a.m.," Seegar said. "He spends a tremendous amount of time with these boys."

Seegar, the rest of the board, and Patsy Morris, the assistant director, kept the award a secret from Dumm until he walked into the cafeteria Tuesday.

When Dumm walked into the room he looked around puzzled at the board members and TV cameras and asked, "Did we win the lottery?"

Throughout the presentation given by S.C. Sen. Yancey McGill, D-Kingstree, on behalf of Sanford, Dumm seemed bemused, and even more so when he received the award itself.

"I don't know what to do with it," he said, laughing. "I'm just overwhelmed."

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