Mark Sorrells may have said it best in welcoming more than 250 people for this evening of celebrating Jim and Sandy Ammons.
“There’s probably no one left,” the president of Fayetteville Technical Community College (FTCC) said, “in the law offices of Cumberland County this evening.”
If Sorrells wasn’t completely right, he was close enough Wednesday when Jim and Sandy Ammons were honored at the Cumberland County Occoneechee Council, Scouting America Distinguished Citizens Awards Dinner in FTCC’s Tony Rand Student Center.
“I don’t know of anyone more civically involved than Jim and Sandy,” said District Attorney Billy West. “You would be hard-pressed to see a couple giving back more. This is a special award for two very special people.”
The annual event is a fundraiser, circa 1986, in support of Scouting America, replete with what you cannot describe as anything less than past recipients, all of whom have made a difference in the lives of so many in Cumberland County.
Wednesday was Jim and Sandy Ammons’ turn in what would become the most financially successful fundraising dinner in the event’s history.
“I knew Jim on our first day of law school,” said Paul Newby, chief justice of the N.C. Supreme Court. “I’m so proud of what they have contributed to society. I think of Sandy and her years of volunteering. They are two (people) who have poured their lives into this community.”
‘Jim Is a Very Fortunate Man’
“Sandy and I shared causes important to both of us,” Sabrina Brooks, vice president of the Cape Fear Valley Health Foundation, told the audience about Sandy Ammons. The 61-year-old Ammons earned her bachelor’s degree in 1998 from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington before co-founding a business and marketing firm.
She later was vice president for advancement and university relations at Methodist University from 2013 to 2017) and retired in 2025 as executive director of the FTCC Foundation. Along the way, she married Jim Ammons on June 22, 1991, and worked on his judicial campaigns in Cumberland County.
“Jim is a very fortunate man,” Brooks said. “Jim proposing to Sandy is the best decision, Jim, you ever made. Although Sandy never was a Scout, she truly was a Scout Mom,” always supporting the Occoneechee Council Scouting America troops, which included her son, Jamie, at the couple’s Haymount United Methodist Church.
When it comes to others in this community, Brooks said, Sandy Ammons is a woman you can count on in the worst and best of times.
“Sandy was always the first to step in when someone needed help,” Brooks said. “She was the first to celebrate an accomplishment, and the first to step up when there’s a need. She has used her gifts as a leader supporting healthcare, arts and culture and public safety. Our community is stronger and better because of Sandy and Jim, and they are most deserving of this prestigious honor.”
‘Jim Was Always Prepared’
Sabrina Brooks delivered a heartfelt testimonial for her longtime friend.
Jim Ammons, a 1980 graduate of the University of North Carolina School of Law, wasn’t quite so fortunate when it came to his law school friend Tom Lock, who is chief Superior Court judge in Johnston County.
“Jim was always prepared,” for law classes, Lock said. “And always prepared for Franklin Street on a Friday night.”
Ammons may have squirmed a bit about those nights on Franklin Street, but he didn’t overrule the judge.
“Jim practiced with his father,” Lock said about the late Floyd Ammons. “He became an assistant district attorney. He was always prepared in the courtroom” and on the bench. “But for once in his life, he was not prepared for the Greek girl, who tamed him. Sandy has always provided Jim with wise counsel. They are people of faith, and Jim is highly respected in the state for managing trials.”
Longtime friend Billy Wellons said Ammons always has been fair in the courtroom, ruling with respect and kindness. “He shows unbelievable respect to others,” he said, and Ammons’ support of scouting has made a difference in the lives of Scouts into becoming successful men and women.
State Auditor Dave Boliek, a lawyer and former prosecutor in Cumberland County, was there.
“I’ve worked with Jim in helping kids with criminal pasts,” he said. “Look around this room,” he implored the audience, “and see who showed up tonight.” He looked toward Jim and Sandy Ammons. “You guys have meant a lot to the community, and I am honored to be with you tonight, judge.”
U.S. Rep. Richard Hudson, whose 9th Congressional District includes a portion of Cumberland County, also attended the event.
“It’s an honor to be with you and Sandy tonight,” he told Jim Ammons. “You are incredible people, who have meant so much to this community. You understand Scouting is not just about camping trips and badges, but that it’s about values.”
Grateful, Humble Recipients
When the evening neared its end, the podium belonged to Sandy Ammons.
“Our family has been impacted immeasurably by Scouting,” she said. “We can’t do anything in life without our family, and I know in my life all things come from God. I’d like to thank my husband, Jim. I’ve loved our life together, and what you’ve accomplished in your career, and we take care of each other.”
The last word belonged to Jim Ammons, the chief senior Superior Court judge for Cumberland County. He retires December 31 after a judicial career that started in 1988.
“First, thanks to God for protecting me and guiding me and bringing me to this moment after 71 years of life,” he said. “I give thanks for this day, for this event and for all the many blessings God has given to me and my family. I have lived a wonderful life, and I thank God for that.
He said navigating a 45-year legal career and a 38-year political career has not been easy.
Ammons said he did not do it alone.
“Any success that I have had, I owe to my family, friends, fellow judges, co-workers, supporters, and mostly the voters. It has been an honor to serve, and I hope I have done something to deserve this award. It’s almost always a bad idea to single folks out for thanks, because you always leave somebody out, So, first let me say to each and every one of you here tonight, thank you for what you have meant to, and what you have done for me and my family,” he said.
But …
“I would be remiss not to honor my parents, Floyd and Joyce Ammons,” he said. “They worked hard to show all their children the value of education and worked hard to provide that education for all four of us. I want to recognize my uncle Willie Dorman, who earned his Eagle (Scout) rank on this very day in 1953. And my children, Jamie and Sarah, I cannot imagine what my life would have been like without both of you, and of the people you have become.
“I cherish all the memories of Scouting adventures that Jamie and I shared,” he said about Jamie Ammons, who earned 60 Scouting merit badges and his Eagle Scout badge in 2008. “And the memories of Sarah and I watching courtroom dramas on TV, pointing out legal mistakes, arguing about the law and debating political policy. Those times remind me of doing each of this with my father.”
He missed no one in the room with a humble gratitude.
Scouting With Community Support
“Finally, I must thank Scouting,” said Ammons, who was a Boy Scout in Troop 740 at Haymount United Methodist Church from 1967 to 1970, and its leader since 2000. “The foundation of Scouting is the Scout Oath that taught me about my duty to God, to my county, to other people and to myself. These values, along with the Scout Law, helped to shape me and form me, not into a perfect person, but in a person who strives each day to be better than he was yesterday. It is my belief that every young person in our society can benefit from Scouting.”
He said that these awards dinner fundraisers with community support has made Scouting America available to young people who otherwise could not afford it.
“Thank you for helping the hundreds of young people that you will never know to learn how to become better citizens,” he said. “Our future will be brighter for your generosity. The mission of Scouting America is to prepare young people to make ethical and moral choices over their lifetimes by instilling in them the values of the Scout Oath and Law. Tonight, by your contributions to Scouting America in honor of Sandy and me, you have promoted that mission, and we thank you.”
The fundraiser on Wednesday, Billy West later said, raised $120,000—$30,000 more than any other in the dinner’s history.
Jim Ammons saved the best of himself for last.
“Now, let me tell you what I am really here tonight,” he said. “I want to thank and honor my wife, Sandy Naskos Ammons. She is the foundation and the inspiration of every good thing that I have experienced over the last 35 years. Without her support, advice, calming influence, marketing expertise and love for a very flawed man, I would be lost.”
She has been his campaign manager for every election season since they met, seven in all.
“It might surprise you to know that Sandy does not like politics,” he said. “She is good at it, but she doesn’t like it. But more than that, Sandy has been the cornerstone of our family. She has helped all of us through the many hurdles of life. She makes us all feel safe and warm and loved. She anticipates and plans for every detail.”
Epilogue
All gathered for this night suddenly became faces in the crowd.
“She has taken me beyond all my dreams and expectations,” Jim Ammons said as he looked into Sandy Ammons’ eyes. “Sandy, I love you more than life.”
Old Boy Scouts declare their oaths, with promises made … and promises to keep.
Bill Kirby Jr. can be reached at billkirby49@gmail.com or 910-624-1961.
