The Shepherdstown Rotary Club has honored the Reverend George Thomas (“G.T.”) Schramm, the former rector of Shepherdstown’s Trinity Episcopal Church, with its highest award, the Paul Harris Award.
The award was presented during the club’s June 17 weekly breakfast meeting at Shepherdstown’s Bavarian Inn.
At the same breakfast, the club also presented a Paul Harris award to Jim King, the club’s immediate past president.
The accompanying photo shows the two awardees with others as follows, from left to right: club member Dana Orsini; King; club member Teri Biebel; Carol Asam, a previous Paul Harris Award recipient who presented the award to Rev. Schramm; Rev. Schramm; and club member Walt Eifert, who chaired this year’s Paul Harris Award process.
The Rotary organization’s Paul Harris Award is named for the individual who founded Rotary International in 1905, Paul Percy Harris (1868-1947). The Shepherdstown Rotary Club periodically bestows this award on community members and club members who exemplify the Rotary motto of “Service Above Self.” The club makes a $1,000 contribution from its own funds to the International Rotary organization’s charitable foundation on each awardee’s behalf.
Rev. Schramm retired from Trinity Church in January 2024, after more than 40 years of service as its rector. During that time, he was not only deeply involved in the administration of the church but also devoted a great deal of time and energy to many Diocesan and community organizations, often playing leadership roles in them. In the 1980s, he helped found Good Shepherd Interfaith Caregivers and the Shepherdstown Rotary Club, and in the 2000s, he led the drive to raise funds to build the Hospice of the Panhandle’s current inpatient hospice facility. He was also very active in the Shepherdstown Day Care Center and CASA of the Eastern Panhandle.
Even in his retirement he continues to serve as president of the boards of both the Hospice and CASA.
A native of Wheeling, he received a bachelor’s degree from Wheeling Jesuit University in 1974 and Master of Divinity and Doctor of Divinity degrees from Virginia Theological Seminary in 1977 and 1997, respectively. He was ordained in 1977, and served as deacon, assistant rector and rector at an Episcopal church in Parkersburg before coming to Shepherdstown in 1983.
This is his second Paul Harris Award from the Shepherdstown Rotary Club; the first was presented to him in 2010.
Also a native West Virginian, Jim King has been a registered architect for over 30 years and has worked in the construction industry over 35 years. He moved to Shepherdstown from Charleston in 2018 to become Director of Facilities at Shepherd University, a post he held for two years. He continues to work as an architect in the area.
He served as president of the Shepherdstown Rotary Club during the 2023-2024 year, and this year has chaired the club’s evening group. He is also currently the president of Shepherdstown Shares.
His other community service activities have included serving on the board of Habitat for Humanity of Kanawha and Putnam Counties; volunteering as construction manager on Jimmy Carter Work Projects in five states and Mexico; and managing construction projects for CRUDEM, an organization providing medical and humanitarian services in Milot, Haiti.
He received a bachelor’s degree from Marshall University and a Master of Architecture from Virginia Tech. He is a member of the American Institute of Architects, West Virginia Society of Architects, and the USGBC (LEED AP).