‘The Voice of the Pam Pack’ honored

Published 2:03 pm Wednesday, September 18, 2024

By Jason O. Boyd

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WASHINGTON, N.C. – It was raining in every direction during Washington High School’s football game last Friday with Kinston at Choppy Wagner Stadium.

The PA system – advanced and reliable 99% of the time – was crackling and popping occasionally as it struggled to work properly during the heavy rains. Meanwhile, fans listened intently while huddled under umbrellas, the bleachers and the school’s field house and concession stands as the game continued.

In one way, the moment harkened back to the days when people would listen to a game huddled around the radio, listening intently as the announcer spoke of each play. It was the next best way to keep up with the game, considering the circumstances.

Through it all, one thing remained consistent – besides the persistent rain. Bill Gore was on the mic describing the plays, what down it was, how many yards each play resulted in and anything else that was happening on the field.

Gore has been doing that for 32 years, every Friday night the Pam Pack had a home football game, even at what Gore called Lake Wagner Stadium – a way to lighten the unique moment that was playing out last Friday.

He’s definitely been “The Voice of the Pam Pack,” a sound as familiar now as it was when he began calling games. So it only made sense that the press box where he sits and calls those football games was named in his honor.

The school surprised Gore with the announcement after the first quarter of last Friday’s game. He was directed to the outside of the press box where a covering of the sign that said, “Bill Gore Press Box” and “The Voice of the Pam Pack” was removed for everyone to see.

“It is humbling, and I feel so honored and loved and surprised,” Gore said. “That’s the main thing. I was just overwhelmed with how much I love this place and did my entire 32-year teaching career here in this one building.

“I’ve seen so many kids come through the football program here. I’ve announced so many touchdowns, so many ‘First down Pam Pack’ announcements. It’s just been a pleasure.”

Washington Athletics Director Will Tyson said the idea began to name the press box in Gore’s honor a few weeks ago. He approached the Beaufort County School board and made a presentation about the idea. It was met with approval and the plans were put in motion to get the sign, put it up and keep the secret long enough for the announcement to be made.

“So the process that the county has is you cannot be a current employee,” Tyson said. “And you cannot be under contract for anything, like you have to be retired per board policy. So he met all the requirements.

“Part of the board requirements is you have to be a distinguished member. So dedicated years of service to Beaufort County and to your school or schools, depending on which way you work. And so he literally met every qualification.”

All that was left was to make the presentation. Not even a night of pouring rain could stop that or wipe the smile from Gore’s face.

“I mean, you know when you hear him,” Tyson said. “You know when you hear the voice. I mean, when you’ve been up there for that long, you know it.

“You know, the only person that really knew (of the surprise) was his older daughter and a couple of people here in the school. And that’s it.

“And it was tough to keep it (secret). I was asked to hold back all the way to homecoming, but there was no way I could keep it for three more weeks a secret. He would have definitely found out.”

The honor summed up what has been an amazing career of announcing at one level or another, from soccer at the high school to Little League games and much more. He said he had done some part-time radio announcing in South Boston, Va., finding out quickly how much he loved doing it. His love of sports and teaching kept him there and going through all the good and bad times.

Now, everyone can see just how much he means to the school … and how much the school and everyone involved mean to him.

“I could not have done this without some very faithful spotters helping me through the years,” Gore said. “One of which was Mr. Travis Carter, who has been my spotter now for at least 15 to 20 years. He sits on my left, so I’ll call him my left-hand man. He’s got the binoculars and he’s feeding me some good information about tackles and stuff like that and exactly who was running the ball. I couldn’t do it without him.

“I’m amazingly honored. I’ll never forget this night as long as I live. As long as God gives me health and strength, I’m going to plan to keep coming to Pam Pack home games on Friday nights, even though I’m retired and keep being the voice of the Pam Pack because I just enjoy it.

“If people walk away and say, ‘I was at the game and not only did I see the game, but I also heard the game while I was there,’ then that makes me feel like I’ve been successful.”

 

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