“Part of being a good neighbor is contributing back to the community,” says Jim Dyer.
And what a contributor he is. As reported last month, Wake Forest truly is a community that cares. A current Wake Forest Town Commissioner, Jim Dyer is an exemplary example of what makes it so. “You will not find anyone more jovial than Jim,” says Jason Cannon, President of Wake Forest Business and Industry Partnership. “From my perspective, he is a gift to our community.”
A gift indeed. But Mr. Dyer is much more than a long-time Wake Forest resident and serving commissioner. If you’ve lived in town for any amount of time, you probably know him best as a world-renowned Santa Claus! He not only looks and sounds the part, but he truly encompasses everything you would expect out of a 2016 inductee to the International Santa Claus Hall of Fame.
This Wake Forest Santa has lived quite a tale. Dyer grew up at Baptist Children’s Home in Kinston, North Carolina. It was there he first experienced the true meaning of Christmas and all the joyous wonders surrounding the most wonderful time of the year. He left the home in pursuit of an education at Mars Hill College and later found himself at UNC-Chapel Hill. It was there he met his wife, Ruth Ann.
Dyer left Chapel Hill and went on to have a 22-year military career and retired as a United States Army Lieutenant Colonel. It was during a flight assignment on Fort Carson, Colorado in 1975 he was introduced to playing the role of Santa. “About everybody on the street was either Air Force or Army, and we were the only couple that didn’t have any children,” explains Jim. “All the families got together and said ‘Hey! You get to be Santa!’ And I thought, ‘Ok! I had the very best time!” Following that experience, he did not expect to ever play Santa again. Dyer retired from the Army in 1989. When he asked his wife where she wanted to settle down, she said “home”.
Jim and Ruth Ann Dyer, photo courtesy of Facebook
Ruth Ann Dyer grew up in Wake Forest on what’s now known as Wake Forest Farms. The farm, where Jim and Ruth Ann’s daughter and family currently reside, has been in Ruth Ann’s family since the 1800s. Jim mentioned tending to the Blueberry Patch at the farm several years ago. Every time Jim starts to speak of his wife of 53 years, he, in true Santa style, gets a special twinkle in his eye. “She was the recipient of the Peggy Allen Lifetime Achievement Award and she has been president of just about everything in Wake Forest that contributes to the community – except for the town board. She let me do that!”
However, do not call her Mrs. Claus – "My wife is very supportive of my role as Santa, but she is not a Mrs. Claus,” chuckles Jim. “She tells me there’s only enough room for one peacock on the stage at a time!”
It was moving home to Wake Forest that really jump-started his long-time career as Santa. After retiring, Dyer did what many retired military gentlemen do – grew a beard – and thus, was asked by some of the guys downtown to play Santa in the parade. That began a 20-year tenure. He’s also had many once-in-a-lifetime experiences portraying Jolly Ole’ St. Nick. Jim has traveled to Europe and served as Santa at the U.S. Embassy in Paris. He has visited troops at the Ramstein Hospital in Germany. He even went to Hawaii and had the privilege of being on the float with the oldest living survivor of Pearl Harbor for the 75th Anniversary ceremonies of that fateful day in our history. Jim is a member of the Long Leaf Pine Santas, the Triangle Santa Buddies, and a Life Member of the International Brotherhood of Real Bearded Santas.
When asked what his top memories of being Santa are, Dyer says, “I’ve had so many amazing experiences. Many I haven’t thought about in years until asked that question.”
He began by recalling the Christmas Day house call he made on a young girl diagnosed with cancer. Then he shared a time in Fort Bragg greeting children fresh off a flight who had all just lost one or both parents while serving our nation. He recalls the day he visited Garner for an event for 25 or so developmentally disabled adults, and the interaction he once had with a little girl at the mall who asked for her Daddy to be home from his deployment to Afghanistan in time for Christmas. They prayed about it together, and truly by the blessings of God, her Daddy did make it home for Christmas. He received a thank you note on his seat in the mall.
“For a little country boy from eastern North Carolina, this [life] has been a real blessing,” says Dyer.
A blessing it is, as Dyer is also a man of God who became an ordained minister at 55. As a minister, he’s been able to deliver the morning message at two of the largest Santa gatherings on the planet. He was also the state chaplain for the Veterans of Foreign Wars for three years and chaplain for the local VFW and American Legion. Additionally, he is a life member of the VFW, American Legion, Disabled American Veterans, and Vietnam Helicopter Pilots’ Association. Dyer strongly believes being a minister and portraying Santa Claus is a dual mission, as it helps spread the education on what Christmas really means. The International Santa Claus Hall of Fame states Jim’s mission today is to make the reason for Christmas clear to all children around the world: the celebration of Jesus's birthday. The same year he was inducted into the hall of fame, he also won the Keep Christ in Christmas Award.
Jim Dyer indeed is the true spirit of Santa. He regularly donates to the local food bank, the Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, and the governing body of the orphanage he grew up in – where he now also serves as a member of its board of trustees.
Put simply, the Dyers are a pillar of the Wake Forest Community. "We’re givers. We participate in the community – we’ve always been involved in some group,” says Jim. “My wife and I were both active in the Chamber of Commerce. She was Ambassador of the Year. We do these things because we love our town.” When asked what makes Wake Forest the perfect place to call home, Dyer says, “I think the quality of life in Wake Forest is exceptional. We have deep roots here, even though I’ve only been here this time 32 years. My wife grew up here, she went to high school here, and it’s just our very being of who we are.”
Cannon sums up Dyer well: “Jim is so much more than a public servant. He brings such an important element to retaining Wake Forest’s extraordinary quality of life. Amidst our Town’s rapid growth, he literally brings a character to life that allows us to continue celebrating our charm as a small town. Particularly at this time of year, we are grateful for the magic he creates in the hearts and minds of those both big and small.”
Video courtesy of LongLeaf Pine Santas
