Dave and Camela Ramey

Camela and I met on February 25, 1988. I had actually noticed her the week before in the Regents Hall lobby when I was waiting on a friend to go to a play. We got to know each other that spring, and when she came back to Murray for summer school, we got serious about each other.

That fall, I started working full-time at the Murray Ledger & Times as a sports writer and Camela would go to a lot of Murray State sporting events with me, sitting behind press row and cheering for the Racers. She graduated with a degree in finance in 1989 and got her MBA in 1991. My academic career got sideways, but I am proud to say in 2018 – thirty years later – I took advantage of the Bachelor of Independent Studies and earned my degree.

We were married in Carbondale (her hometown) in August of 1990. I eventually ended up working in the athletic department in the mid 1990s, before we had two children, John and Lily, both who attended Murray State. I moved on to eventually start my own insurance business. Camela started working on campus in 2005 and is the academic budget officer on campus.

The university is woven into our lives. OVC and NCAA Tournament basketball trips, historic football games at Stewart Stadium are not just part of our fandom – they are part of our family. Memories of diaper changes in the Stewart Stadium press box, my daughter winning regional basketball titles at the CFSB Center and pictures of our children as toddlers roaming Reagan Field are some of our favorites. As someone who came to Murray from a very troubled upbringing – Murray State University gave me something I never had – a true home and the love of my life.