photo credit Roger Glenn, Kanuga 2007

Yesterday Will and I had the privilege of attending the funeral of a very special man. Bill Ross was the Director at Camp Flintlock many years ago when Will was a young boy, and he taught at the Spartanburg Day School where Will attended K-12. I have heard stories about Bill Ross for 30 years. He was a legend of a man. At least in the eyes of my man. Next to his father and grandfather, Bill Ross had the absolute most influence on Will. It’s not even an exaggeration to say that Will wouldn’t be the man he is today if he’d never met Bill Ross.

Many years ago Will read the book Wild at Heart by John Eldredge, and it impacted him profoundly. After reading Wild at Heart, Will wrote Bill, and sent him a copy of the book along with a letter expressing how much Bill meant to him and how much he had influenced him as a boy. Yesterday at the funeral, Will was content knowing that Bill Ross knew how much Will Reid loved and respected him.

Here is a part of his obituary from the Spartanburg Journal:

PACOLET, SC– William Clarence Ross, 87, died peacefully at his farm on Tuesday, September 15, 2015.
Bill was born on June 15, 1928, in Henderson, NC and grew up at Thompson Orphanage in Charlotte, NC. At the age of 16, Bill joined the Merchant Marines and then later, the US Marine Corps with whom he proudly served his country.
Bill spent military leave time for many years directing the waterfront at Kanuga, and it was there that he met his wife, Bootie. In 1953 he graduated from the University of Virginia. He began his career in education at Porter Military Academy and the Gaud School for Boys in Charleston, SC and also served as Head of the Middle School at Porter Gaud School when the two schools merged.
During the summers, Bill and Bootie worked at Sky Valley Camps in Hendersonville, NC. In 1965 the two of them opened and directed Flintlock Camps in Tuxedo, NC. For 24 years at camp, Bill shared his love of the mountains, his belief in meeting a challenge head on, and his ability to tell a good story around a campfire.
Bill moved to Spartanburg, SC in 1966, where he served as teacher, coach, and Head of the Lower and Middle Schools at The Spartanburg Day School until his retirement in 1991. He was a member of Calvary Episcopal Church in Glenn Springs, SC. Following his retirement, Bill served as a board member of Green River Preserve, as a Guardian Ad Litem, delivered Meals on Wheels, and enjoyed life as a gentleman farmer, an avid hunter and fisherman, and a devoted husband, father, and grandfather. 

I can only hope when the day comes for me that someone will look back and know with certainty that I mattered in their life. Thank you, Bill, for the husband and father you helped Will Reid to be. He’s not afraid of anything, and he has challenged our girls and me to do a lot of things outside of our comfort zones. I have you to thank for that. Thank you for believing in a little tow-headed boy, and convincing him he could do anything he put his mind to. You did a good job. He’s amazing. I know you were too.