In the spring of 1966, just days before he was scheduled to graduate from Southwestern University, Russell Ramsey ’66 experienced a relatable student slumber snafu. He overslept on the morning of his historiography final exam.

“I was usually up by 5:00 or 5:30 a.m., but for some reason I didn’t hear my alarm clock that day,” Ramsey recalled. “If I hadn’t been at Southwestern, and was enrolled in some bigger school, I would have flunked the final.”

But Ramsey was spared by an act that perfectly illustrates the unique academic experience offered to Southwestern students.

Upon realizing he was not in attendance for the final, Ramsey’s professor, Dr. William “Bill” B. Jones, went to Ramsey’s room in the Kappa Sigma fraternity house, knocked on his door, woke him up, took him to the student union building for a cup of coffee and then escorted him to his final exam – which he aced.

“Southwestern was and still is very important to me,” Ramsey admitted. “Being there changed my life.”

Dr. Jones, who would later serve as provost and interim President during a 35-year tenure at SU, did not only wake up a sleeping student that morning in 1966, but he also sparked a connection between the University and one of its most loyal advocates that has proven to be as solid and long-lasting as central Texas limestone.

As the senior class president elected by his fellow students, Ramsey felt a responsibility to keep his class connected even after graduation. Thus, despite some resistance from campus leadership at the time, Ramsey lobbied to host class reunions every five years starting in 1971. Six decades later, Ramsey believes the class of 1966 is the only class to hold a reunion every five years since graduation – even though “the first two or three” were not sanctioned by the university.

Ramsey has planned every reunion his class of 1966 has hosted, 12 in all, including an early one salvaged by the local chapter of Woodmen of the World who provided an enclosed space amid a gully-washer to avoid the reunion party being held in a muddy and soaked San Gabriel Park.

But Ramsey is quick to point out that he has not organized these dozen reunions alone. He’s had help from an intentionally inclusive group of classmates.

“I tried to get somebody from every fraternity, every sorority, every organization like Mask & Wig and The Megaphone – a representative from all of them,” Ramsey revealed. “I thought it was important that we all get back together and see one another to catch up and visit and learn about their families. That’s what it’s all about.”

In addition to maintaining his class’s bond through reunion celebrations every five years, Ramsey believed it was also important to return to Southwestern each fall to attend homecoming – a tradition invented by SU more than a century ago. In the six decades since he’s been out of school, Ramsey has missed homecoming just twice.

The only years Ramsey was unable to attend Southwestern homecoming were when his daughter, Suzanne, was born and when her son (Ramsey’s grandson) was born. Not that she needed to make up for her dad’s rare homecoming absence, but Suzanne Ramsey Moran ’93 ended up attending Southwestern herself. It’s one of the many deep family connections Ramsey is proud to share with his alma mater.

Ramsey’s SU experience inspired his brother, Mark Ramsey ’73, to enroll. In addition to Russell’s daughter, Suzanne, graduating from SU, her husband, Mike Moran ’93, and his two sisters are all Southwestern alumni. Southwestern is also where Ramsey met his wife, Ann Cater Ramsey ’67.

“I had never set foot on campus before I enrolled at Southwestern,” Ramsey said. “My Dad was a former schoolteacher, and he knew of SU’s outstanding scholastic reputation, so he wanted me to go there. People often ask me the best thing about Southwestern, and I say meeting my wife. And I’m serious about that. It’s the greatest thing that ever happened.”

Russell and Ann were married in June of 1967 inside Southwestern’s Lois Perkins Chapel. Who performed the marriage ceremony? Dr. Bill Jones, the professor who delivered the personal wake-up call to Ramsey a year earlier.

Russell and Ann, who passed away in December 2023, were married 56 years. In 2006, the couple established The Cater-Ramsey Endowed Scholarship in memory and appreciation of their parents who provided a college education to all their children. The intent of the scholarships, awarded to students who demonstrate financial need and plan to major in history, is to hopefully enable a student to begin another tradition of proud and engaged Southwestern graduates like the Cater-Ramsey family.

Because of a specific circumstance emblematic of the intimate Southwestern University experience, Russell Ramsey did not miss his final exam. And he has rarely missed an opportunity in the six decades since to support the school that he says changed his life in more ways than one.