STEVE RAMSEY, 1952 - 2005
BY DAN MILLER
(originally posted August 24, 2005)
It's odd, the things that cross your mind when you hear that a friend has unexpectedly died.
Early Monday morning, Belinda, our newsroom administrative assistant, was going down the list, calling person after person, with the sad news.... Steve Ramsey, our general manager, had died.
"What!"....
It just couldn't be.... I had just talked with him Friday.... he seemed perfect.... I couldn't believe what I was hearing.
"Thanks for calling", I said, and hung up.
Then I thought..... "Maybe she didn't say Steve Ramsey."
"Am I certain that's the name she just said?"
"I know I heard Steve Ramsey's name... but that seems so unlikely, maybe I misunderstood!"
But I knew it was true.
Then, of all things, I thought about a long scar on his right elbow.
I had noticed it when he wore short sleeved shirts.
I had wondered, was it an old football injury.... or a horseback riding mishap.... or, perhaps something from the military?
I'd been meaning to ask him.
I thought about his parking space.
He was the big boss...... so, why didn't he park closer to the door?
And why did he always back in?
Everybody could always tell when Steve was at work, because his big shiny pickup truck was the most conspicuous vehicle in front of the building.
I thought about the barrage of emails he and I would exchange, debating the way something was done, or not done, at the TV station.
We often disagreed.... and that's the part he seemed to like best.
He would call me a cynic, and I'd call him a hard-headed cowboy......
I confess.... sometimes I'd invent, or exaggerate, concerns -- just for the exchange that was sure to follow.
It was sheer enjoyment and mental exercise for both of us.... but most times, I was the one who would learn something.
No matter how argumentative we both might be, Steve would always end his final email on any topic with something like, "This sure is fun doing this with you", or, "Ain't this business fun?"
Steve took the TV news business seriously, but he had fun.
I've seen him send people home, simply because he felt they were spending too much time at work, and should be home with their families, or with their leisure activities.
He never shied away from saying how much he loved this place.... and the people who work here. He loved the successes.... and he embraced the failures.
If Steve were here, I'm certain he would debate my wording of this..... but here's the final lesson I learned from him:
Life is fragile and unpredictable.
Love your work.... love your life even more.... and have fun.
We won't see another like him.
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