Ten Questions with Rodney Ramey

After 30 years of memories made, bonds formed and Harper College facilities properly and thoroughly cared for, Rodney Ramey is set to retire from his post with the Campus Setup Crew at Harper. But we couldn’t let Rodney leave without asking him to reflect on his favorite Harper memories, the hardest he ever laughed and what he hopes for his retirement. 

1. Describe your perfect day.

My perfect day is a relaxing morning at home with family, lunch with friends and a steak dinner with my wife at night!

2. If you could go back and tell 13-year-old Rodney one thing, what would it be?

I would tell him to set goals and go to college. Kids need to go to school; I tell my grandchildren that all the time. Their future depends on it. 

3. What fads did you embrace while growing up?

I used to love getting dressed up nice in a suit to go to parties with my friends or even to school sometimes. Al Green and James Brown were my favorite artists to dance to! 

4. You could be best friends with any fictional character; who do you choose and why?

Bruce Lee’s character in Enter the Dragon. He’s fearless and so good with his martial arts. It would be good to have a friend like that on your side. 

5. If you could live anywhere in the world for a year, where would it be and why?

Well, my favorite city in the world is Chicago. But I would love to go back to Cuba. Once my wife and I went with a group of deaf people, it was so hot and so beautiful. I’ve never seen anything like it in my life. 

6. What’s a color you gravitate towards and why?

Red. Ever since I was a little boy, I’ve loved the color red. My car is red. I want to paint my walls red, but my wife’s like, “No way!”

7. Who was your role model growing up?

My mom. She was always doing something for me and my brother: cooking for us, taking us shopping, doing fun things with us. I’ll never forget when she took me to see a Cubs game. I’m a Sox fan, but my mom was a Cubs fan so I’ll never forget that day.

8. What do you wonder about? 

Lately, I’m wondering a lot about what retirement life is going to be like! We’re going to buy a new home, I hope to get a puppy and I plan on doing a lot of reading and walking. And most importantly, I’ll get to babysit my grandkids! 

9. What’s the hardest you ever laughed?

That’s a hard question, I love laughing! I’m always joking around with my coworkers. Depending on the building we’re working in, if there’s nobody around, we’ll be cracking jokes and making each other laugh. You gotta have fun!

10. What are your favorite Harper College memories?

Too many to name! Laughing with my team, working the night shift, my old bosses. I’ll never forget when I transferred from the third shift to the first shift; it was a huge learning curve. Having to learn to use email and communicate with my crew wasn’t easy. It required a lot of focus. But Randy (Toelke) and my whole team taught me a lot and I taught them some sign. We learned how to work together and it was an experience I’ll never forget.