Recognizing a lifetime of service and loyalty to the Fraternity, the Distinguished Service Award is the highest individual award a member of Sigma Alpha Epsilon may receive. Their actions exhibit their understanding of the Fraternity’s teachings, adherence to Fraternity Laws, attention to the promotion of its welfare, and exemplary conduct that guards well its honor and high standing.
The Fraternity has 345,000+ initiated members; only 163 have been recognized with the Distinguished Service Award. James M. “Jim” Tatum, Jr. (Wake Forest ‘68), one of the most recent recipients, presented to him on October 27, 2024.
His two defining characteristics are humility and loyalty; a powerful combination that provides endless positivity and steadiness. While career-focused immediately after his collegiate tenure, it wasn’t long until the purple and gold beckoned him back to the Fraternity. After all, we’re loyal sons of Minerva and will always find our way home.
Home is where the heart is, and his heart is with his chapter and its house. He is the foundation and bedrock of alumni engagement and undergraduate housing for his chapter. Jim mentored generations and transformed countless young men into True Gentlemen. To this day, he treats every single member as if they are his own son, with whom he also shares the sacred bonds of our Fraternity, a distinct privilege that only a few can claim.
As both a Chapter Advisor and House Corporation President, he single-handedly improved his chapter and its house ten times over, then some. Many say that neither would exist today without Jim’s efforts. He has stood hand-in-hand with them through thick and thin, treating every success and challenge as a learning opportunity and a way to improve. Appropriately, the chapter room was recently renamed in Jim’s honor.
Beyond our collegians, he also had an equally profound impact on our alumni; always encouraging anyone out of touch to rekindle their connection with the Fraternity. The impact a single gentleman can have on others can branch infinitely, especially if they exude the loyalty that Jim has had over the years. Even with career choices, he only had three jobs… one for 20 years, another for 19, and a decade-plus at his current.
Jim’s dedication exudes into all aspects of your life, so much so that he’s garnered professional accolades from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the State Bar Association of North Carolina, and many other organizations. For decades of unwavering commitment, the Fraternity has already awarded him with the Order of Minerva and the Merit Key.
Accordingly, the Supreme Council of Sigma Alpha Epsilon awards James M. Tatum, Jr., the 163rd Distinguished Service Award, the highest honor bestowed upon a member of our Beloved Fraternity, granted on this 27th day of October in the year 2024.
