During Monday’s Dallas County Commission meeting, a plaque was presented to the family of Harold Plummer to honor his years of service as road superintendent.

Plummer died of cancer earlier this year. The plaque presented to Plummer’s wife Joyce honored him “as a man of dignity, compassion and dedication to his fellow man.”

The plaque also recognized his personal and professional achievements saying, “Harold will be remembered as a devoted employee of the Dallas County Commission and years of service to the Dallas County Engineering Department.”

Dallas County Probate Judge Kim Ballard said Plummer was a special person who changed the way the job was performed and perceived.

“Harold added new meaning to the word road superintendent,” he said. “We never had to worry about anything. When he got the message about something being needed somewhere, you could forget about it. He would take care of it.”

District 3 Commissioner Curtis Williams said Plummer was always willing to lend a helping hand, no matter the time or the circumstances.

“He was a kind-hearted person, and Mr. Plummer was a great worker for us,” he said. “He was the most humble person I ever knew that worked for Dallas County. You could call him any time of night and he would make sure that the task got done.”

Plummer, Williams said, was also a humanitarian who saw people, not color.

“He was a Christian-hearted person,” he said. “You didn’t have to worry about racism or anything like that with him. He was going to do things the right way or no way.”

The job of road superintendent is very demanding, District 4 Commissioner Larry Nickles said. But Plummer had the support of his work and home families, which helped him perform at a high level.

“We as commissioners in our road department are like family,” Nickles said. “The families give up a lot of time when they are out there on calls night and day. Harold and his family have run the gauntlet on sacrificing to give service to Dallas County. I don’t think there is a proper way for us to show the appreciation that we have.”

Plummer will be missed, Ballard said, but his influence is still alive and well.

“We miss Harold, but we know he’s in a better place,” he said. “Harold is still with us through the people he trained. We won’t ever have to give up Harold. He certainly left a legacy.”