Far from home, a basketball crowd-pleaser is on life support

[alocispepraluger102]

Far from home, a basketball crowd-pleaser is on life support

Sunday, March 25, 2007

He was walking back from a convenience store after picking up a burrito and a Coke. Jason Ray knew he would sweat off a few pounds once he climbed into his furry costume, so he had to get enough fuel into his body to prepare.

In just a few hours, his beloved North Carolina Tar Heels would play in the Sweet 16, with nearly 20,000 fans filling Continental Airlines Arena to watch. They did not come to see Ray, but he would entertain them, too.

On nights like this, Ray would become Ramses, the sleek-and-fuzzy mascot for his school. He danced with the cheerleaders. He pranced from one side of the arena to the other. He coaxed the crowd to its feet and made kids laugh. And he never stopped moving.

"It was his way of supporting the team -- he absolutely loved it," his father, Emmitt Ray, said yesterday. Emmitt Ray was in a small waiting room at Hackensack Medical Center, trying to comprehend how his 21-year-old son could be in a coma and on life support, the doctors offering little hope of recovery.

"There are things you just can't explain," he said. "He just happened to be in the wrong place at the right time. He wasn't doing anything he wasn't supposed to be doing. He was 200 yards from the hotel."

Jason Ray was walking Friday along the shoulder of Route 4, returning to the Hilton Fort Lee, when a 2006 Mercury Mountaineer struck him from behind. He suffered major head trauma and a broken hip. Gagik Hovsepyan, 51, the driver of the SUV, was taken to Fort Lee police headquarters, but no charges have been filed.

Emmitt Ray received the call at 4:30 p.m. at his home in Concord, N.C., and the local police came soon after. When he arrived in New Jersey before midnight, the doctors told him the news: His son was brain-dead.

"The doctors, they're nice as they can be," Emmitt Ray said, "but they don't give much hope short of the intervention of the Lord."

The NCAA Tournament will continue today, with top-seeded North Carolina playing Georgetown for a spot in the Final Four. Just a few miles up Route 17, Emmitt Ray will wait at the hospital, praying over his son, hoping he does not have to make a decision no parent wants to consider.

A pastor from a local church sat with him in the waiting room yesterday morning. He and his wife, Charlotte, would take turns sitting bedside in the small room. They expected nearly a dozen friends and family members to make the trip up the interstate from North Carolina, including five high school friends who lived with their son in Chapel Hill.

You have to love a school to wear that sweaty, 75-pound costume, and Jason Ray loved North Carolina. His family has Kentucky roots, but he wanted to go to Chapel Hill from the first time he stepped on campus. He was denied early admission but refused to apply anywhere else.

Though dozens tried out to wear that suit at football and basketball games, no one was surprised when he was the choice. It is easy to wear the costume but difficult to bring Ramses to life. He is not allowed to talk. He can't change the facial expression. But people always responded to Ray.

"We could always tell it was him because his shorts came up higher on his legs than the other boys," his father said. "Jason was 6-foot-5 -- I guess I should say, Jason is 6-foot-5."

His father remembers when John Edwards, then a North Carolina senator and a vice presidential candidate, grabbed Jason by the arm and asked him to pose for a photo with Edwards' children. Jason obliged, of course, wrapping his long arms around the family, and when Edwards tried to walk away, he grabbed the senator and held up a finger. He wanted his own photo. Edwards laughed.

There is another story Jason Ray always loved to tell, and Emmitt Ray had to compose himself before he could begin this one. Jason was in the basement of the campus basketball arena one day when he ran into Roy Williams, who had recently returned to coach his alma mater.

"What are you doing here?" the new coach asked.

"My name is Jason Ray. I'm Ramses."

"Ramses?" the coach said. "At your height, why aren't you playing for my team?"

"I'm too slow and I can't jump," Jason replied. "But I can be of assistance in other ways, Coach."

He always was. Jason Ray was set to graduate May 13 with a 3.6 GPA, majoring in business with a minor in religion. He had a job lined up in sales and marketing in nearby Raleigh, N.C. He traveled to Europe last summer, running with the bulls in Pamplona and visiting the Sistine Chapel.

"That was the type of person he was," said Lauren Ripley, a North Carolina team manager who traveled with him to Europe.

But playing Ramses was his passion. He hated the idea of giving up that mascot suit, even as he trained his replacement. Two years ago, he watched the Tar Heels clip the nets on television after winning the national title while a senior entertained the crowd as the mascot.

This was going to be his turn.

The tournament will go on this week, but it does so without one passionate kid who was always happiest covered in fur and sweating off pounds for the school he loved.

Steve Politi appears regularly in The Star-Ledger. He may be reached at spoliti@starledger.com.

© 2007 The Star Ledger

© 2007 NJ.com All Rights Reserved.

[sheldonm]

Far from home, a basketball crowd-pleaser is on life support

Sunday, March 25, 2007

He was walking back from a convenience store after picking up a burrito and a Coke. Jason Ray knew he would sweat off a few pounds once he climbed into his furry costume, so he had to get enough fuel into his body to prepare.

In just a few hours, his beloved North Carolina Tar Heels would play in the Sweet 16, with nearly 20,000 fans filling Continental Airlines Arena to watch. They did not come to see Ray, but he would entertain them, too.

On nights like this, Ray would become Ramses, the sleek-and-fuzzy mascot for his school. He danced with the cheerleaders. He pranced from one side of the arena to the other. He coaxed the crowd to its feet and made kids laugh. And he never stopped moving.

"It was his way of supporting the team -- he absolutely loved it," his father, Emmitt Ray, said yesterday. Emmitt Ray was in a small waiting room at Hackensack Medical Center, trying to comprehend how his 21-year-old son could be in a coma and on life support, the doctors offering little hope of recovery.

"There are things you just can't explain," he said. "He just happened to be in the wrong place at the right time. He wasn't doing anything he wasn't supposed to be doing. He was 200 yards from the hotel."

Jason Ray was walking Friday along the shoulder of Route 4, returning to the Hilton Fort Lee, when a 2006 Mercury Mountaineer struck him from behind. He suffered major head trauma and a broken hip. Gagik Hovsepyan, 51, the driver of the SUV, was taken to Fort Lee police headquarters, but no charges have been filed.

Emmitt Ray received the call at 4:30 p.m. at his home in Concord, N.C., and the local police came soon after. When he arrived in New Jersey before midnight, the doctors told him the news: His son was brain-dead.

"The doctors, they're nice as they can be," Emmitt Ray said, "but they don't give much hope short of the intervention of the Lord."

The NCAA Tournament will continue today, with top-seeded North Carolina playing Georgetown for a spot in the Final Four. Just a few miles up Route 17, Emmitt Ray will wait at the hospital, praying over his son, hoping he does not have to make a decision no parent wants to consider.

A pastor from a local church sat with him in the waiting room yesterday morning. He and his wife, Charlotte, would take turns sitting bedside in the small room. They expected nearly a dozen friends and family members to make the trip up the interstate from North Carolina, including five high school friends who lived with their son in Chapel Hill.

You have to love a school to wear that sweaty, 75-pound costume, and Jason Ray loved North Carolina. His family has Kentucky roots, but he wanted to go to Chapel Hill from the first time he stepped on campus. He was denied early admission but refused to apply anywhere else.

Though dozens tried out to wear that suit at football and basketball games, no one was surprised when he was the choice. It is easy to wear the costume but difficult to bring Ramses to life. He is not allowed to talk. He can't change the facial expression. But people always responded to Ray.

"We could always tell it was him because his shorts came up higher on his legs than the other boys," his father said. "Jason was 6-foot-5 -- I guess I should say, Jason is 6-foot-5."

His father remembers when John Edwards, then a North Carolina senator and a vice presidential candidate, grabbed Jason by the arm and asked him to pose for a photo with Edwards' children. Jason obliged, of course, wrapping his long arms around the family, and when Edwards tried to walk away, he grabbed the senator and held up a finger. He wanted his own photo. Edwards laughed.

There is another story Jason Ray always loved to tell, and Emmitt Ray had to compose himself before he could begin this one. Jason was in the basement of the campus basketball arena one day when he ran into Roy Williams, who had recently returned to coach his alma mater.

"What are you doing here?" the new coach asked.

"My name is Jason Ray. I'm Ramses."

"Ramses?" the coach said. "At your height, why aren't you playing for my team?"

"I'm too slow and I can't jump," Jason replied. "But I can be of assistance in other ways, Coach."

He always was. Jason Ray was set to graduate May 13 with a 3.6 GPA, majoring in business with a minor in religion. He had a job lined up in sales and marketing in nearby Raleigh, N.C. He traveled to Europe last summer, running with the bulls in Pamplona and visiting the Sistine Chapel.

"That was the type of person he was," said Lauren Ripley, a North Carolina team manager who traveled with him to Europe.

But playing Ramses was his passion. He hated the idea of giving up that mascot suit, even as he trained his replacement. Two years ago, he watched the Tar Heels clip the nets on television after winning the national title while a senior entertained the crowd as the mascot.

This was going to be his turn.

The tournament will go on this week, but it does so without one passionate kid who was always happiest covered in fur and sweating off pounds for the school he loved.

Steve Politi appears regularly in The Star-Ledger. He may be reached at spoliti@starledger.com.

© 2007 The Star Ledger

© 2007 NJ.com All Rights Reserved.

....man, that sucks!

[Free For All]

It does suck, and I just heard he passed away. Very sad.

[alocispepraluger102]

steve politi, the columnist who wrote this column, told me that it was very painful to write, but his famly wanted it.

may the young man rest in peace.

[Pete B]

from http://story.scout.com/a.z?s=78&p=2&c=630007

Jason Ray, Tar Heel Mascot, Passes Away

By UNC Athletic Comm.

Posted Mar 26, 2007

Jason Kendall Ray, 21, died Monday morning at Hackensack (N.J.) University Medical Center. Ray, a senior at the University of North Carolina, was a member of UNC's cheerleading squad and was injured in a pedestrian/vehicle accident in Fort Lee, N.J., on Friday, March 23. He was pronounced dead by doctors at 8:38 a.m.

Ray was in New Jersey to perform as the Tar Heels’ mascot, Rameses, in the NCAA Men’s Basketball East Regional in East Rutherford, N.J., on Friday and Sunday. Dozens of family and friends gathered at the hospital’s Surgical Intensive Care Unit since the accident.

”Our family would like to thank the staff at Hackensack University Medical Center for the compassionate and professional care they provided,” says Jason’s brother, Allen, speaking on behalf of the family. “They made this terrible experience as tolerable as possible and gave solace to our family. “We would also like to thank the UNC athletic department. Jason was a member of their family and they extended their support to us and provided support to our family as we have dealt with this terrible loss.

“Jason was a wonderful son, brother and friend. He leaves behind a legacy of friendship, laughter, excitement for life and a genuine love for all the people he touched during his all-too-short life.”

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to the Jason Kendall Ray Memorial Fund, Concord Christian Church, 3101 Davidson Highway, Concord, NC 28027.

”Jason believed in organ donation and in the sharing of the gift of life,” Allen Ray says. “His organs will be donated to the Sharing Network of New Jersey. We hope that Jason’s gift will be able to help up to 50 people in critical need of transplant.”

“This is a devastating loss to the Ray family and our University community,” says Director of Athletics Dick Baddour. “Jason had many talents. Over the last several days, we have heard from so many people who said Jason went above the call of duty to brighten their days and make their child smile and laugh. He may have performed in the anonymity that comes with playing the mascot, but his life has had an overt and lasting impact on the people whose lives he touched. Our hearts and prayers again go out to his family and friends in this time of extraordinary grief.”

Jason was majoring in business administration with a concentration in marketing at UNC’s Kenan-Flagler Business School and was working toward a minor in religious studies. He had played the Ram mascot for the past three seasons.

“Jason gave Rameses an energy that was unique,” says UNC cheerleading coach Brown Walters. “He embodied all of the qualities you would want in a team member. He was a tremendous ambassador of the University of North Carolina and that spirit will live on forever. The Carolina Spirit Program has lost a member of our family and he will be deeply missed.” "The loss of Jason Ray will be felt by all of us who love and care about Carolina,” says Chancellor James Moeser. “His legacy will be one of caring and joy, of hard work and enthusiasm for life. Susan and I join his friends, classmates, teammates and instructors, people across the campus and far beyond Chapel Hill in wishing his family comfort during this time of profound loss."

“My heart goes out to Jason’s family,” says Carolina basketball coach Roy Williams. “He was an engaging young man and a friend to a number of our players and managers. They tell me he was a wonderful person. Obviously our team is disappointed with the outcome of Sunday’s game, but that pales greatly in comparison with the loss the Ray family is dealing with today. We ask everyone to remember Jason and his family in their prayers.”

[alocispepraluger102]

from http://story.scout.com/a.z?s=78&p=2&c=630007

Jason Ray, Tar Heel Mascot, Passes Away

By UNC Athletic Comm.

Posted Mar 26, 2007

Jason Kendall Ray, 21, died Monday morning at Hackensack (N.J.) University Medical Center. Ray, a senior at the University of North Carolina, was a member of UNC's cheerleading squad and was injured in a pedestrian/vehicle accident in Fort Lee, N.J., on Friday, March 23. He was pronounced dead by doctors at 8:38 a.m.

Ray was in New Jersey to perform as the Tar Heels’ mascot, Rameses, in the NCAA Men’s Basketball East Regional in East Rutherford, N.J., on Friday and Sunday. Dozens of family and friends gathered at the hospital’s Surgical Intensive Care Unit since the accident.

”Our family would like to thank the staff at Hackensack University Medical Center for the compassionate and professional care they provided,” says Jason’s brother, Allen, speaking on behalf of the family. “They made this terrible experience as tolerable as possible and gave solace to our family. “We would also like to thank the UNC athletic department. Jason was a member of their family and they extended their support to us and provided support to our family as we have dealt with this terrible loss.

“Jason was a wonderful son, brother and friend. He leaves behind a legacy of friendship, laughter, excitement for life and a genuine love for all the people he touched during his all-too-short life.”

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to the Jason Kendall Ray Memorial Fund, Concord Christian Church, 3101 Davidson Highway, Concord, NC 28027.

”Jason believed in organ donation and in the sharing of the gift of life,” Allen Ray says. “His organs will be donated to the Sharing Network of New Jersey. We hope that Jason’s gift will be able to help up to 50 people in critical need of transplant.”

“This is a devastating loss to the Ray family and our University community,” says Director of Athletics Dick Baddour. “Jason had many talents. Over the last several days, we have heard from so many people who said Jason went above the call of duty to brighten their days and make their child smile and laugh. He may have performed in the anonymity that comes with playing the mascot, but his life has had an overt and lasting impact on the people whose lives he touched. Our hearts and prayers again go out to his family and friends in this time of extraordinary grief.”

Jason was majoring in business administration with a concentration in marketing at UNC’s Kenan-Flagler Business School and was working toward a minor in religious studies. He had played the Ram mascot for the past three seasons.

“Jason gave Rameses an energy that was unique,” says UNC cheerleading coach Brown Walters. “He embodied all of the qualities you would want in a team member. He was a tremendous ambassador of the University of North Carolina and that spirit will live on forever. The Carolina Spirit Program has lost a member of our family and he will be deeply missed.” "The loss of Jason Ray will be felt by all of us who love and care about Carolina,” says Chancellor James Moeser. “His legacy will be one of caring and joy, of hard work and enthusiasm for life. Susan and I join his friends, classmates, teammates and instructors, people across the campus and far beyond Chapel Hill in wishing his family comfort during this time of profound loss."

“My heart goes out to Jason’s family,” says Carolina basketball coach Roy Williams. “He was an engaging young man and a friend to a number of our players and managers. They tell me he was a wonderful person. Obviously our team is disappointed with the outcome of Sunday’s game, but that pales greatly in comparison with the loss the Ray family is dealing with today. We ask everyone to remember Jason and his family in their prayers.”

thanks for posting this