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TO RECOGNIZE AND HONOR COACH GARY ROPER FOR HIS OUTSTANDING CAREER AND TO THANK HIM FOR HIS MANY YEARS OF DEDICATED SERVICE TO THE YOUTH OF SOUTH CAROLINA.
Whereas, Coach Gary Roper will be honored at a reunion on August 24, 2013, in Greenwood, South Carolina; and
Whereas, family, friends, and former players, coaches, managers, and cheerleaders will gather to honor Coach Roper's thirty-three years of coaching; and
Whereas, William Gary Roper was born on January 2, 1937, in Easley, South Carolina, the only child of William Morris and Ethel Mae Powell Roper; and
Whereas, Coach Roper graduated from Easley High School and was always active in sports; and
Whereas, he attended Wofford College with a baseball/football scholarship and then joined the Army where he honorably served our country for two years; and
Whereas, he coached youth sports at the Greenwood YMCA from 1960-65 and graduated from Erskine College in 1965. He then became a coach and teacher at Northside Jr. High School in Greenwood, S.C. from 1965-1993; and
Whereas, while at Northside, he ultimately became Head Football Coach, a position he held for twenty-seven years, and held a coaching record of 168-39-4 with sixteen City Championships; and
Whereas, he was also Head Coach of the Greenwood High School baseball team; and
Whereas, upon retirement from public school on June 3, 1993, he soon accepted the challenge of coaching 8-man football at Cambridge Academy where this was a first in football for the private school and resulted in a region championship; and
Whereas, he is married to Jane Purdue Bratcher and he has two daughters, Robyn Agnew and Kristi Hays; stepdaughter, Hannah Gantt; grandson, Will; and stepgrandaughter, Gracen; and
Whereas, in his free time he enjoys hunting, fishing, and now golfing, and he is an avid Gamecock fan but prefers to tailgate in his own living room with friends; and
Whereas, today, after spending many long hours away from home coaching, he enjoys going to Hardees and The Dixie where he meets up with "the regulars", a group of old friends, and they discuss the events of the day; and
Whereas, he has a pet named P-nut, a cat he proclaimed would never enter his home that now has the run of the house and dictates most daily decisions; and
Whereas, he has attended St. Mark United Methodist Church for over forty years and has served on various committees over the years; and
Whereas, always able to remember someone's name, Coach Roper is a true gentleman and will long be fondly remembered by the many lives he has touched. Now, therefore,
Be it resolved by the Senate:
That the South Carolina Senate recognizes and honors Coach Gary Roper for his outstanding career and thanks him for his many years of dedicated service to the youth of South Carolina.
Be it further resolved that a copy of this resolution be forwarded to Coach Gary Roper.
This web page was last updated on June 4, 2013 at 2:38 PM