Bob Dumford, vice president of the Turkey Creek Regional Sewer District, is also an experienced horse trainer. He enjoys the challenge presented by working with horses and his many other pastimes. Here, he coaxes mini horse Sugar to stand still for a photo. Photo by Lilli Dwyer.

By Lilli Dwyer
Staff Writer

SYRACUSE — When not serving in his position as vice president of the Turkey Creek Regional Sewer District board, Bob Dumford keeps extremely busy.

Raised in Hoagland, Dumford first attended Indiana University to study music, but switched to Tri-State College and earned a business degree. From there, he went on to a career in sales, mainly in Elkhart’s RV industry.

While Dumford officially retired from his sales career in 2005, he hasn’t decreased his activity level.

“To this day, I haven’t retired,” he said with a laugh.

While living in Middlebury, he started his habit of civic involvement by becoming a member of the town board.

“I enjoyed that, I really did. It gave me an opportunity to be involved with the management of the town and make decisions,” Dumford recalled.

For about 10 years, he was also a volunteer firefighter. “It was a good group of guys. … Quite frankly, I enjoyed it, if you could say running out and fighting fires is enjoyable. It’s rewarding, I guess is the word I’m looking for. Same thing with the town board, same thing with Turkey Creek,” he said.

Dumford explained that the sewer board, which he’s been part of since 1992, appeals to his mechanical nature.

“I’m just kind of a nuts and bolts guy. Turkey Creek has afforded me that opportunity. If someone would’ve asked me what a lift station did 30 years ago, I would’ve said, ‘What’s a lift station?’ Well, now I know what they do, how they work, why they’re there. It’s given me an opportunity to be part of something that’s good for the community, it’s kept me busy,” he said.

Dumford has been a Mason for over 50 years and is a former master of the Kosciusko Masonic Lodge. He is also active in the Shrine, driving local kids to Shriners Hospitals in Chicago and Dayton once or twice a month.

Apart from all these activities, one of Dumford’s great passions has been horse training. Both Dumford and his wife, Sue, liked to ride as children, but horses took a backseat to their careers for many years.

However, when their oldest granddaughter, Aggie, was 7 years old, she started asking for a horse. Once she got one, it kicked off something of a horse frenzy for the family.

“We got back into it. I’m glad we did, I guess I realized how much I really missed it,” Dumford recalled.

The Dumfords had maintained a house on Lake Wawasee since 1988, but sold it and settled on a piece of land near their son’s farm outside Syracuse in 2009. There, they were able to keep horses for trail riding and shows.

Dumford was part of the Mizpah Shrine Horse Patrol for several years, serving as executive director of the annual charity horse show for eight of them. His favorite horse was a palomino named De Oro, a Spanish name meaning “of gold.”

Nowadays, the Dumfords have slowed down their training and showing significantly, but they still share their land with two mini horses called Sugar and Driver.

Dumford stated that horse training has been rewarding for him because of the unique challenge it presents. “It’s about getting them to do what you want them to do, but it’s got to be their idea,” he explained. “I think it’s a challenge, and I need a challenge. … I enjoy getting things done. I enjoy leaving things a little better than they were.”

In light of all that, and with his 80th birthday approaching, Dumford still has no plans to do less.

“I am an avid believer,” he said, “that as long as you can get up, as long as God says you can get up out of bed and do it, you need to do it. And I don’t think the date on your birth certificate has anything to do with it.”

Dumford astride his favorite horse, De Oro, during a Mizpah Shrine horse show. Photo provided by Bob Dumford.