BAMBERG – Schools in Bamberg School District One (Bamberg-Ehrhardt) dismissed early Monday to allow students, teachers, staff and administrators the opportunity to attend the funeral of a beloved coach and mentor to young people who, as announcer of Bamberg-Ehrhardt football games, was known as the“Voice of the Red Raiders” for the past 20 years.

Al Ramsey, 63, who coached golf and tennis at Bamberg-Ehrhardt High School, died unexpectedly at his home Friday night after returning from the Bamberg-Ehrhardt Red Raiders football game against Allendale-Fairfax High School in the opening round of the Class A Upper State Division I playoffs.

Ramsey’s Lady Red Raiders Tennis teams captured back-to-back Region 6-AA championships and also appeared in consecutive Lower State title matches in 1999 and 2000. This season, the Lady Red Raiders advanced to the second round of the S.C. High School League state playoffs before falling to Hannah-Pamplico.

Ramsey was laid to rest Monday at Bamberg County Memory Gardens, where members of the B-EHS Golf Team symbolically teed off in honor of his memory.

Ron Duncan, head football coach at Bamberg-Ehrhardt, said Ramsey “always led by setting a good example.”

“I have never heard anything bad about Mr. Ramsey. Ever since I have been here, everything about him has been positive,” Duncan said.

“It’s going to be hard to replace him in this community,” he continued. “I hope the young people will try to live their lives the way Mr. Ramsey did. He truly led his life by setting a good example. No matter when you saw him, he had a smile on his face.”

Jim Kemp of Bamberg said his son, Zachary, played golf this past spring for Ramsey. Kemp said he knows the young people in the community will especially miss the man who was always positive with kids.

“Al was a good role model for the young people in our community,” Kemp said.

“He always had good things to say about everybody. My son Zach enjoyed playing golf for him.”

Shannon Stokes, who played tennis for six years under Ramsey, remembered him as a mild mannered coach who was “like a kind father.”

“I still have my 1993ˇRegion 6-AA Conference Championship Girl’s Tennis luggage tag that Coach Ramsey gave us that year,” she said. “My most memorable moment about him (Ramsey)ˇwas when he was selected to be the All-Star tennis coach and I was selected to play on the All-Star tennis team. I won my match and made Coach Ramsey very proud,” Stokes said. “We made a good team,”

“All of us students and players loved him very much,” she added.

Among his numerous affiliations, Ramsey was a member of the Red Raider Booster Club and served on the S.C. High School League Tennis Committee for many years.

-- T&D Correspondent Lisa B. Stokes can be reached by e-mail at lisastokes@bellsouth.net or by phone at 803-245-5648. Discuss this and other stories online at TheTandD.com.

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