44INAROW
06-18-2009, 01:59 PM
Kenedy coach, administrator touched many lives
The last time Kenedy advanced to the playoffs in football was 1999.
George Dumont retired in 1999.
That may be a coincidence, but it's worth pondering.
Dumont did a little bit of everything during his 38 years with the Kenedy school district.
He coached, was the athletic director, worked with the band, and went into administration before becoming the principal at Kenedy High School.
But what Dumont excelled at was touching the lives of friends, students and members of the community before passing away Friday at the age of 73 after a battle with cancer.
I can't honestly remember when I met Dumont. Kenedy had some outstanding baseball teams in the 1980's and won the Class 3A state championship in 1983, so it could have been at a baseball game at Red Holchak Field.
I do know once Dumont met you, he didn't forget you.
I would see him every year at the UIL Track and Field State Championships in Austin.
He was an official at the state meet for a number of years and I wasn't aware until recently, but this would have been his 30th year to announce the Region IV-2A track and field meet.
I can't count the number of times when I would descend the stairs at Mike A. Myers Stadium from the press box to the track early on Friday morning and one of the first people I would see would be Dumont.
We would talk about what was going on around the area and he always helped me out whenever I was busy with an event and needed information about another event.
I had a feeling something could be wrong when I didn't see him at this year's state meet.
I didn't know he had health problems until I spoke with his son Brad, the athletic director and football coach at Rice Consolidated.
Brad Dumont told me his father began his coaching career in Florence before moving to Kenedy where he coached the football, basketball, baseball and golf teams and had gone deep into the playoffs in every sport.
George Dumont's love of coaching carried over to his family. Along with Brad, son Tab Dumont is the athletic director and head football coach at Pleasanton and daughter Jana Hehs was the head volleyball coach at Edna.
One of George Dumont's proudest moments as a parent came in 2007 when his sons led Rice Consolidated and Pleasanton to the semifinals of the football playoffs.
Dumont and his wife, Jeannene, remained in Kenedy after his retirement and they were able to spend time with their four children and eight grandchildren.
But Dumont's extended family was obviously much larger, judging from the number of people who have stopped by their home or passed along their condolences.
"What I'll remember about my dad was his ability to help people and keep people going in the right direction," Brad Dumont said. "Ever since I was a little kid, people would come up to me and ask 'How's coach Dumont doing?' That was always special to me."
Mike Forman is a sports writer for the Victoria Advocate. Contact him at 361-580-6588 or mforman@vicad.com, or comment on this column at www.VictoriaAdvocate.com.
Link (http://www.victoriaadvocate.com/news/2009/jun/17/mf_onsports_061809_55025/#c49070)
The last time Kenedy advanced to the playoffs in football was 1999.
George Dumont retired in 1999.
That may be a coincidence, but it's worth pondering.
Dumont did a little bit of everything during his 38 years with the Kenedy school district.
He coached, was the athletic director, worked with the band, and went into administration before becoming the principal at Kenedy High School.
But what Dumont excelled at was touching the lives of friends, students and members of the community before passing away Friday at the age of 73 after a battle with cancer.
I can't honestly remember when I met Dumont. Kenedy had some outstanding baseball teams in the 1980's and won the Class 3A state championship in 1983, so it could have been at a baseball game at Red Holchak Field.
I do know once Dumont met you, he didn't forget you.
I would see him every year at the UIL Track and Field State Championships in Austin.
He was an official at the state meet for a number of years and I wasn't aware until recently, but this would have been his 30th year to announce the Region IV-2A track and field meet.
I can't count the number of times when I would descend the stairs at Mike A. Myers Stadium from the press box to the track early on Friday morning and one of the first people I would see would be Dumont.
We would talk about what was going on around the area and he always helped me out whenever I was busy with an event and needed information about another event.
I had a feeling something could be wrong when I didn't see him at this year's state meet.
I didn't know he had health problems until I spoke with his son Brad, the athletic director and football coach at Rice Consolidated.
Brad Dumont told me his father began his coaching career in Florence before moving to Kenedy where he coached the football, basketball, baseball and golf teams and had gone deep into the playoffs in every sport.
George Dumont's love of coaching carried over to his family. Along with Brad, son Tab Dumont is the athletic director and head football coach at Pleasanton and daughter Jana Hehs was the head volleyball coach at Edna.
One of George Dumont's proudest moments as a parent came in 2007 when his sons led Rice Consolidated and Pleasanton to the semifinals of the football playoffs.
Dumont and his wife, Jeannene, remained in Kenedy after his retirement and they were able to spend time with their four children and eight grandchildren.
But Dumont's extended family was obviously much larger, judging from the number of people who have stopped by their home or passed along their condolences.
"What I'll remember about my dad was his ability to help people and keep people going in the right direction," Brad Dumont said. "Ever since I was a little kid, people would come up to me and ask 'How's coach Dumont doing?' That was always special to me."
Mike Forman is a sports writer for the Victoria Advocate. Contact him at 361-580-6588 or mforman@vicad.com, or comment on this column at www.VictoriaAdvocate.com.
Link (http://www.victoriaadvocate.com/news/2009/jun/17/mf_onsports_061809_55025/#c49070)