John Roberts QUACKENBUSH

1933 - 2014  (80 years)

• Name	John Roberts QUACKENBUSH  [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8]
  Birth	15 Oct 1933	Cincinnati, Ohio
  Gender	Male
  HIST	John R. Quackenbush COLUMBIA — John Roberts Quackenbush, 80, passed away peacefully on Sunday, April 27, 2014, at NHC Healthcare in West Columbia. John was born on Oct. 15, 1933, in Cincinnati, Ohio, a son of the late Howard Moore and Elizabeth Roberts Quackenbush. John spent his entire career in radio, mostly in Sumter. His passion for sports led him to be a sportscaster, starting with live re-creations of New York Yankees baseball games over the radio. He became a local media legend by announcing Sumter High School football and basketball and Sumter American Legion baseball games for many years. He was named to the Sumter Sports Hall of Fame in 2011. John also served in the U.S. Army during the Korean Conflict, stationed at Fort Jackson in Columbia. He is survived by his devoted wife, Lunette Griffin Quackenbush; son and daughter-in-law, John Howard (Howie) and Kathy S. Quackenbush of Spartanburg; daughter and son-in-law, Terry Quackenbush and Audie Joel “AJ” Burke; step-daughter-in-law, Vicki Lynn Griffin of Lawrenceville, Georgia; stepson and daughter-in-law, Drew and Tonya Griffin of Grayson, Georgia; grandchildren, Chris and Lauren Burke; and step-grandchildren, Erin, Ashley and Jonathan Griffin. Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. today at St. Andrews Baptist Church in Columbia with burial at Fort Jackson National Cemetery. Visitation will be held at 10 a.m., one hour prior to the service, in the church chapel. Caughman-Harman Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements, www.caughmanharmanfuneralhome.net. Posted in Obituaries on Thursday, May 1, 2014 John Quackenbush: 1933-2014 Voice of P-15's was on the air 40+ years By DENNIS BRUNSON dennisb@theitem.com (803) 774-1241 John Quackenbush, the radio voice for sports in Sumter for more than four decades, died on Sunday in Columbia at the age of 80. Quackenbush covered football and basketball for Edmunds High School and later Sumter High School for more than two decades and Sumter P-15's American Legion baseball for more than three decades, stretching over 40-plus years. He also had a period of time in which he worked for Darlington Raceway Radio Network. Quackenbush was also known for taking information that came in on The Associated Press ticker tape machine about New York Yankee games, for whom Sumter native Bobby Richardson played from the mid 1950s through the mid '60s, and reproducing games over the air - with sound effects - for Sumter sports fans. Quackenbush knew a great deal about each of the sports he called, and he was able to pass that knowledge to those listening to him over the radio airwaves. Kevin Ireland, Quackenbush's broadcast partner with the P-15's for more than two decades, said Quackenbush was able to do that because of how well-prepared he was. "It was really remarkable what he could do," said Ireland, who now does the broadcasts with Lee Glaze. "I could only wish that I could be as well prepared as he was. When we finished a game, he would update the stats (of the team and the players) literally by hand that night with a game the next day. There was never anyone better prepared for a game." Quackenbush said he tried to get to know the people on the teams he covered so he could add flavor to his coverage. "That's where the work came in," Quackenbush said in a 2011 story in The Sumter Item. "Developing relationships with the players and the coaches, knowing their likes and dislikes. Those are the things you added to calling the game." A native of Columbus, Ohio, Quackenbush made it to Sumter in a round-about way. According to a biography in the Sumter P-15's 1969 Yearbook edited by P-15's head coach Bernie Jones, Quackenbush came to South Carolina on vacation in 1960. He "liked it so well he decided to make Sumter his home," according to the biography. Quackenbush, who attended Miami (Ohio) University, began working in radio sports when he was 19 years old. He retired from broadcasting in 2000 with American Legion Post 15 sending him out with a big ceremony in the P-15's final home game. He was battling cancer and said he just wanted to do other things in his life. However, he was back in the booth with Ireland in '03, and did it through the '07 season. His cancer was in remission and decided he wanted to do it again. "I really had no intentions at that time of coming back," Quackenbush said in a June 3, 2003, story in The Sumter Item on his return behind the microphone. "There were more important things in my life, and I had been doing this for 40-plus years." In December of '11, Quackenbush was inducted into the Sumter Sports Hall of Fame. "This honor really means a lot to me," Quackenbush said days before his induction. "I'm really honored, and I appreciate it. "I don't know that I deserve it though. It's odd to me that I'm getting honored like this for basically doing my job, but that's what I did." Funeral arrangements are incomplete. Caughman-Harman Funeral Home - St. Andrew's Chapel is handling the arrangements. Posted in Local news, News on Tuesday, April 29, 2014 \ Remembering Quackenbush BY MAC McLEOD It was with certain sorrow that I learned of the death of my old friend, John Quackenbush. Anyone who knew John knew how truly he loved sports and loved life. During my 10 years as sports editor of The Item from 1970-80, John and I traveled many miles together covering the Sumter High Gamecocks and the P-15s, and I can truly say that every mile with him was an adventure. I remember the night he was thrown out of the basketball game in Camden but couldn't leave because I was riding with him, or the nights at West Florence when the Knights tried everything they could to confuse him by using wrong numbers and pointing to him every time they scored in the years of a very heated rivalry. They couldn't break him. He was a true professional. There were trips where John would get stopped for speeding and we had to convince the police not to take him to jail but issue a fine because we were late to get to a game we were covering. You may catch him off guard, but you never got the best of him. He was a "trouper." The stories about John are endless. There were none like him in the broadcast game and it might be a long time before there is another. I hired John to write for The Item around 1980, and the first day on the job, John called Tommy Lasorda, the manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers, for a personal story. John knew everybody and every statistic that was ever printed. He was, in the true sense of the work, a dedicated sportscaster. With fond memories of a unique person, I pass along my condolences to his family. Editor's note: Sumter native Mac McLeod, a former Item sports editor, now lives in Livingston, Tenn. Posted in Opinion on Sunday, May 4, 2014 John Quackenbush: 1933-2014 By DENNIS BRUNSON dennisb@theitem.com (803) 774-1241 John Quackenbush, the radio voice for sports in Sumter for more than four decades, died on Sunday in Columbia at the age of 80. Quackenbush covered football and basketball for Edmunds High School and later Sumter High School for more than two decades and Sumter P-15's American Legion baseball for more than three decades, stretching over 40-plus years. He also had a period of time in which he worked for Darlington Raceway Radio Network. Quackenbush was also known for taking information that came in on The Associated Press ticker tape machine about New York Yankee games, for whom Sumter native Bobby Richardson played from the mid 1950s through the mid '60s, and reproducing games over the air - with sound effects - for Sumter sports fans. Quackenbush knew a great deal about each of the sports he called, and he was able to pass that knowledge to those listening to him over the radio airwaves. Kevin Ireland, Quackenbush's broadcast partner with the P-15's for more than two decades, said Quackenbush was able to do that because of how well-prepared he was. "It was really remarkable what he could do," said Ireland, who now does the broadcasts with Lee Glaze. "I could only wish that I could be as well prepared as he was. When we finished a game, he would update the stats (of the team and the players) literally by hand that night with a game the next day. There was never anyone better prepared for a game." Quackenbush said he tried to get to know the people on the teams he covered so he could add flavor to his coverage. "That's where the work came in," Quackenbush said in a 2011 story in The Sumter Item. "Developing relationships with the players and the coaches, knowing their likes and dislikes. Those are the things you added to calling the game." A native of Columbus, Ohio, Quackenbush made it to Sumter in a round-about way. According to a biography in the Sumter P-15's 1969 Yearbook edited by P-15's head coach Bernie Jones, Quackenbush came to South Carolina on vacation in 1960. He "liked it so well he decided to make Sumter his home," according to the biography. Quackenbush, who attended Miami (Ohio) University, began working in radio sports when he was 19 years old. He retired from broadcasting in 2000 with American Legion Post 15 sending him out with a big ceremony in the P-15's final home game. He was battling cancer and said he just wanted to do other things in his life. However, he was back in the booth with Ireland in '03, and did it through the '07 season. His cancer was in remission and decided he wanted to do it again. "I really had no intentions at that time of coming back," Quackenbush said in a June 3, 2003, story in The Sumter Item on his return behind the microphone. "There were more important things in my life, and I had been doing this for 40-plus years." In December of '11, Quackenbush was inducted into the Sumter Sports Hall of Fame. "This honor really means a lot to me," Quackenbush said days before his induction. "I'm really honored, and I appreciate it. "I don't know that I deserve it though. It's odd to me that I'm getting honored like this for basically doing my job, but that's what I did." Funeral arrangements are incomplete. Caughman-Harman Funeral Home - St. Andrew's Chapel is handling the arrangements. Posted in Local news, News on Tuesday, April 29, 2014 Quackenbush was in his element calling games Wallie Jones is the former head coach of the Sumter P-15's American Legion baseball program. Not only did he work with John Quackenbush, the former P-15's radio announcer who passed away on Sunday, as a coach, but Quackenbush was calling P-15's games when Jones played for them in the early 1960s. When I heard the news of John Quackenbush's death, different thoughts and visions of John immediately stormed back to me. I never really knew John away from the microphone at ballgames, just like I don't know what birds do when they're not flying. Just as birds were made to fly, John was made to hover over a ball diamond, football field or basketball court with a mike in his hand. Hugh Betchman, a long time P-15's coach, who knew John in a coach-announcer relationship, said, "John was controversial but he took his job very seriously and was extremely prepared. He was a student of the game. He really knew how to draw out people in an interview." Kevin Ireland, Quackenbush's co-announcer for many years who rode many thousands of miles to and from games with John, said, "John was very meticulous in his preparation and delivery of his sportscasting. He knew what he was talking about when it came to sports. He loved all sports." John was an inimitable character. His thumb and index finger were permanently shaped in the form of a "C," perfect for holding a cigarette, which they usually were. John loved sans-a-belt pants. He carried lots of things in his pants pockets -- coins, pens, cigarette lighter and a fat wallet. As his belly grew with time, his pants would sag lower and lower causing the cuffs of his pants to drag the floor. John dragged his feet when he walked and wore his heels out quickly. He wore short sleeve, plaid shirts with a pocket for his cigarettes. His shirts were always neatly tucked in on one side. John rarely wore a hat or cap. Caps would interfere with his headset. John had a lot of loose ends in his life outside of the booth, but he had no loose ends in the booth in front of a microphone. The booth was "home" for John. He was secure and confident there, in control of his life. Like Vic Wallenda, the high wire artist who said, "Life is on the wire; everything else is just waiting." John's life was in the booth behind the mike; everything else was just waiting. John would get to the park early to see batting practice of both teams, talk to players and chat with both coaches. He wanted to know the coaches as well as the players. That way, he could let his listening audience get to know the players beyond what they did on the field. Thirty-minute rain delays? No problem! John was prepared. In fact, he had his "rain delay" material always ready to go. Thirty minutes of announcing with no game going on would scare the pants off of most announcers, but not John. Yes, John was controversial. Yes, John had a lot of loose ends in his life, but who doesn't? I didn't know John away from game day, but I do know that if all of us would play as hard on game day as John did, we would all win more games. John always gave a lot more than he was paid for. His work was good enough to be heard by a lot more ears than only Sumter County, but those of us who had the good fortune to sit around our radios with John painting pictures for us were richer because of his passion. Quack, you gave it all you had in the booth and that was good enough. Rest in peace. The fat lady sings. Posted in Local sports, Sports on Wednesday, April 30, 2014 Sumter Item to reveal Top 125 Sports Figures with anniversary celebration Posted Saturday, October 12, 2019 6:00 am BY DENNIS BRUNSON In celebration of its 125th anniversary, The Sumter Item is going to select the Top 125 Sports Figures during that period in Sumter, Clarendon and Lee counties. The list will be revealed in reverse order starting on Wednesday with Nos. 125-111. The remaining lists will be contain 10 figures beginning on Friday. Those lists will appear every Wednesday and Friday until it reaches the top 10 in December. At that point, one story will be released in each edition until the top figure is revealed. The list will include people who affected sports in our area both in competition and in other ways as well. Coinciding with the list reveal, we'll be asking readers to reveal their Top 10 sports figures in Item history, and we'll be hosing Autograph Giveaway contests featuring our famous local sports figures. The Sumter Item's Top 125 Sports Figures 51-60 Posted Monday, November 11, 2019 2:09 pm In celebration of its 125th anniversary, The Sumter Item has selected the Top 125 Sports Figures during that period in Sumter, Clarendon and Lee counties. The list will be revealed in reverse order, appearing every Wednesday and Friday until it reaches the top 10 in December. At that point, one story will be released in each edition until the top figure is revealed. The list will include people who affected sports in our area both in competition and in other ways as well. 60) Charles Hodgin - Charles Hodgin has been a standout tennis player throughout his adult life, but he is perhaps best known for his teaching of the sport since he arrived in Sumter in 1957. The main court at Palmetto Tennis Center is named after him, and he was recently inducted into the South Carolina Patrons Tennis Hall of Fame. 59) Bo Betchman - Bo Betchman was a standout infi elder for both Sumter High School and the Sumter P-15’s in the 1990s, helping SHS to a state championship series and the P-15’s to several state titles. He the starred at The Citadel, where he was a 2-time All-Southern Conference selection. 58) Keith West - Keith West was a 3-year starter at quarterback for Sumter High School from 1985-87, leading the Gamecocks to the 4A Division I state championship game as a sophomore and to the state title as a senior. He was the most valuable player in the Shrine Bowl before going to Wake Forest, where hestarted his fi nal two seasons, leading the Demon Deacons to a bowl victory. 57) John Quackenbush - John Quackenbush called Sumter High School football and basketball for decades as well as Sumter P-15’s baseball while mixing in some Wilson Hall athletics as well. What he was perhaps most famous for was receiving ticker-tape reports on New York Yankee games with Bobby Richardson and recreating them on the local airwaves. 56) Chuck Hodgin - Chuck Hodgin never tasted defeat as a high school tennis player at Sumter High School, winning individual state titles from 1974-77. He was No. 1 in the state in every age group as an amateur player and owned a victory over John McEnroe before going on to play at the University of South Carolina, where he was a most valuable player and a co-captain. 55) Kenny Franklin - Kenny Franklin graduated from Sumter High School in 1995 and was a track and field standout. He won individual state titles in the long jump and the triple jump and was a member of the state champion 4x400-meter relay team. He went to Clemson where he was a 7-time All-American. 54) Wilbert Singleton - Wilbert Singleton was a standout basketball player for Sumter High School, from which he graduated in 1977. He was a 4-year varsity letter winner and averaged 18.3 points and 10.9 rebounds for his career. He was named to several All-America teams before going on to play collegiately at Wake Forest. 53) Clarke Bynum - Clarke Bynum was a McDonald’s All-American in 1980, his senior season at Wilson Hall. He is Wilson Hall’s basketball career scoring leader and had his No. 24 retired as well. After a lengthy recruiting battle between North Carolina and Clemson, Bynum chose the Tigers. He averaged 5.0 points a game for his career with Clemson. 52) Wally Richardson - Wally Richardson was a 4-year starter at quarterback for Sumter High School, leading the Gamecocks to a state football title as a junior and to the championship game as a senior. SHS won 23 straight games during that stretch. He went on to Penn State where he started his fi nal two years, leading the Nittany Lions to a pair of bowl wins. He had a brief stint in the National Football League with Baltimore and Atlanta. 51) Coley White - Coley White was a standout in track and field, football and basketball before graduating from Lincoln High School in 1959. He went on to play baseball, football and track at Voorhees Junior College before moving on to Morris College where he competed in football, basketball and track. However, what White is best known for is his time as a middle school coach at McLaurin Junior High School beginning in 1970 and followed by many years at Bates Middle School. He coached football, basketball and track, and while all of his teams were very successful, he was also successful as a role model and mentor for many of his athletes.  [1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8]
  HIST	John R. Quackenbush COLUMBIA — John Roberts Quackenbush, 80, passed away peacefully on Sunday, April 27, 2014, at NHC Healthcare in West Columbia. John was born on Oct. 15, 1933, in Cincinnati, Ohio, a son of the late Howard Moore and Elizabeth Roberts Quackenbush. John spent his entire career in radio, mostly in Sumter. His passion for sports led him to be a sportscaster, starting with live re-creations of New York Yankees baseball games over the radio. He became a local media legend by announcing Sumter High School football and basketball and Sumter American Legion baseball games for many years. He was named to the Sumter Sports Hall of Fame in 2011. John also served in the U.S. Army during the Korean Conflict, stationed at Fort Jackson in Columbia. He is survived by his devoted wife, Lunette Griffin Quackenbush; son and daughter-in-law, John Howard (Howie) and Kathy S. Quackenbush of Spartanburg; daughter and son-in-law, Terry Quackenbush and Audie Joel “AJ” Burke; step-daughter-in-law, Vicki Lynn Griffin of Lawrenceville, Georgia; stepson and daughter-in-law, Drew and Tonya Griffin of Grayson, Georgia; grandchildren, Chris and Lauren Burke; and step-grandchildren, Erin, Ashley and Jonathan Griffin. Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. today at St. Andrews Baptist Church in Columbia with burial at Fort Jackson National Cemetery. Visitation will be held at 10 a.m., one hour prior to the service, in the church chapel. Caughman-Harman Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements, www.caughmanharmanfuneralhome.net. Posted in Obituaries on Thursday, May 1, 2014 John Quackenbush: 1933-2014 Voice of P-15's was on the air 40+ years By DENNIS BRUNSON dennisb@theitem.com (803) 774-1241 John Quackenbush, the radio voice for sports in Sumter for more than four decades, died on Sunday in Columbia at the age of 80. Quackenbush covered football and basketball for Edmunds High School and later Sumter High School for more than two decades and Sumter P-15's American Legion baseball for more than three decades, stretching over 40-plus years. He also had a period of time in which he worked for Darlington Raceway Radio Network. Quackenbush was also known for taking information that came in on The Associated Press ticker tape machine about New York Yankee games, for whom Sumter native Bobby Richardson played from the mid 1950s through the mid '60s, and reproducing games over the air - with sound effects - for Sumter sports fans. Quackenbush knew a great deal about each of the sports he called, and he was able to pass that knowledge to those listening to him over the radio airwaves. Kevin Ireland, Quackenbush's broadcast partner with the P-15's for more than two decades, said Quackenbush was able to do that because of how well-prepared he was. "It was really remarkable what he could do," said Ireland, who now does the broadcasts with Lee Glaze. "I could only wish that I could be as well prepared as he was. When we finished a game, he would update the stats (of the team and the players) literally by hand that night with a game the next day. There was never anyone better prepared for a game." Quackenbush said he tried to get to know the people on the teams he covered so he could add flavor to his coverage. "That's where the work came in," Quackenbush said in a 2011 story in The Sumter Item. "Developing relationships with the players and the coaches, knowing their likes and dislikes. Those are the things you added to calling the game." A native of Columbus, Ohio, Quackenbush made it to Sumter in a round-about way. According to a biography in the Sumter P-15's 1969 Yearbook edited by P-15's head coach Bernie Jones, Quackenbush came to South Carolina on vacation in 1960. He "liked it so well he decided to make Sumter his home," according to the biography. Quackenbush, who attended Miami (Ohio) University, began working in radio sports when he was 19 years old. He retired from broadcasting in 2000 with American Legion Post 15 sending him out with a big ceremony in the P-15's final home game. He was battling cancer and said he just wanted to do other things in his life. However, he was back in the booth with Ireland in '03, and did it through the '07 season. His cancer was in remission and decided he wanted to do it again. "I really had no intentions at that time of coming back," Quackenbush said in a June 3, 2003, story in The Sumter Item on his return behind the microphone. "There were more important things in my life, and I had been doing this for 40-plus years." In December of '11, Quackenbush was inducted into the Sumter Sports Hall of Fame. "This honor really means a lot to me," Quackenbush said days before his induction. "I'm really honored, and I appreciate it. "I don't know that I deserve it though. It's odd to me that I'm getting honored like this for basically doing my job, but that's what I did." Funeral arrangements are incomplete. Caughman-Harman Funeral Home - St. Andrew's Chapel is handling the arrangements. Posted in Local news, News on Tuesday, April 29, 2014 \ Remembering Quackenbush BY MAC McLEOD It was with certain sorrow that I learned of the death of my old friend, John Quackenbush. Anyone who knew John knew how truly he loved sports and loved life. During my 10 years as sports editor of The Item from 1970-80, John and I traveled many miles together covering the Sumter High Gamecocks and the P-15s, and I can truly say that every mile with him was an adventure. I remember the night he was thrown out of the basketball game in Camden but couldn't leave because I was riding with him, or the nights at West Florence when the Knights tried everything they could to confuse him by using wrong numbers and pointing to him every time they scored in the years of a very heated rivalry. They couldn't break him. He was a true professional. There were trips where John would get stopped for speeding and we had to convince the police not to take him to jail but issue a fine because we were late to get to a game we were covering. You may catch him off guard, but you never got the best of him. He was a "trouper." The stories about John are endless. There were none like him in the broadcast game and it might be a long time before there is another. I hired John to write for The Item around 1980, and the first day on the job, John called Tommy Lasorda, the manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers, for a personal story. John knew everybody and every statistic that was ever printed. He was, in the true sense of the work, a dedicated sportscaster. With fond memories of a unique person, I pass along my condolences to his family. Editor's note: Sumter native Mac McLeod, a former Item sports editor, now lives in Livingston, Tenn. Posted in Opinion on Sunday, May 4, 2014 John Quackenbush: 1933-2014 By DENNIS BRUNSON dennisb@theitem.com (803) 774-1241 John Quackenbush, the radio voice for sports in Sumter for more than four decades, died on Sunday in Columbia at the age of 80. Quackenbush covered football and basketball for Edmunds High School and later Sumter High School for more than two decades and Sumter P-15's American Legion baseball for more than three decades, stretching over 40-plus years. He also had a period of time in which he worked for Darlington Raceway Radio Network. Quackenbush was also known for taking information that came in on The Associated Press ticker tape machine about New York Yankee games, for whom Sumter native Bobby Richardson played from the mid 1950s through the mid '60s, and reproducing games over the air - with sound effects - for Sumter sports fans. Quackenbush knew a great deal about each of the sports he called, and he was able to pass that knowledge to those listening to him over the radio airwaves. Kevin Ireland, Quackenbush's broadcast partner with the P-15's for more than two decades, said Quackenbush was able to do that because of how well-prepared he was. "It was really remarkable what he could do," said Ireland, who now does the broadcasts with Lee Glaze. "I could only wish that I could be as well prepared as he was. When we finished a game, he would update the stats (of the team and the players) literally by hand that night with a game the next day. There was never anyone better prepared for a game." Quackenbush said he tried to get to know the people on the teams he covered so he could add flavor to his coverage. "That's where the work came in," Quackenbush said in a 2011 story in The Sumter Item. "Developing relationships with the players and the coaches, knowing their likes and dislikes. Those are the things you added to calling the game." A native of Columbus, Ohio, Quackenbush made it to Sumter in a round-about way. According to a biography in the Sumter P-15's 1969 Yearbook edited by P-15's head coach Bernie Jones, Quackenbush came to South Carolina on vacation in 1960. He "liked it so well he decided to make Sumter his home," according to the biography. Quackenbush, who attended Miami (Ohio) University, began working in radio sports when he was 19 years old. He retired from broadcasting in 2000 with American Legion Post 15 sending him out with a big ceremony in the P-15's final home game. He was battling cancer and said he just wanted to do other things in his life. However, he was back in the booth with Ireland in '03, and did it through the '07 season. His cancer was in remission and decided he wanted to do it again. "I really had no intentions at that time of coming back," Quackenbush said in a June 3, 2003, story in The Sumter Item on his return behind the microphone. "There were more important things in my life, and I had been doing this for 40-plus years." In December of '11, Quackenbush was inducted into the Sumter Sports Hall of Fame. "This honor really means a lot to me," Quackenbush said days before his induction. "I'm really honored, and I appreciate it. "I don't know that I deserve it though. It's odd to me that I'm getting honored like this for basically doing my job, but that's what I did." Funeral arrangements are incomplete. Caughman-Harman Funeral Home - St. Andrew's Chapel is handling the arrangements. Posted in Local news, News on Tuesday, April 29, 2014 Quackenbush was in his element calling games Wallie Jones is the former head coach of the Sumter P-15's American Legion baseball program. Not only did he work with John Quackenbush, the former P-15's radio announcer who passed away on Sunday, as a coach, but Quackenbush was calling P-15's games when Jones played for them in the early 1960s. When I heard the news of John Quackenbush's death, different thoughts and visions of John immediately stormed back to me. I never really knew John away from the microphone at ballgames, just like I don't know what birds do when they're not flying. Just as birds were made to fly, John was made to hover over a ball diamond, football field or basketball court with a mike in his hand. Hugh Betchman, a long time P-15's coach, who knew John in a coach-announcer relationship, said, "John was controversial but he took his job very seriously and was extremely prepared. He was a student of the game. He really knew how to draw out people in an interview." Kevin Ireland, Quackenbush's co-announcer for many years who rode many thousands of miles to and from games with John, said, "John was very meticulous in his preparation and delivery of his sportscasting. He knew what he was talking about when it came to sports. He loved all sports." John was an inimitable character. His thumb and index finger were permanently shaped in the form of a "C," perfect for holding a cigarette, which they usually were. John loved sans-a-belt pants. He carried lots of things in his pants pockets -- coins, pens, cigarette lighter and a fat wallet. As his belly grew with time, his pants would sag lower and lower causing the cuffs of his pants to drag the floor. John dragged his feet when he walked and wore his heels out quickly. He wore short sleeve, plaid shirts with a pocket for his cigarettes. His shirts were always neatly tucked in on one side. John rarely wore a hat or cap. Caps would interfere with his headset. John had a lot of loose ends in his life outside of the booth, but he had no loose ends in the booth in front of a microphone. The booth was "home" for John. He was secure and confident there, in control of his life. Like Vic Wallenda, the high wire artist who said, "Life is on the wire; everything else is just waiting." John's life was in the booth behind the mike; everything else was just waiting. John would get to the park early to see batting practice of both teams, talk to players and chat with both coaches. He wanted to know the coaches as well as the players. That way, he could let his listening audience get to know the players beyond what they did on the field. Thirty-minute rain delays? No problem! John was prepared. In fact, he had his "rain delay" material always ready to go. Thirty minutes of announcing with no game going on would scare the pants off of most announcers, but not John. Yes, John was controversial. Yes, John had a lot of loose ends in his life, but who doesn't? I didn't know John away from game day, but I do know that if all of us would play as hard on game day as John did, we would all win more games. John always gave a lot more than he was paid for. His work was good enough to be heard by a lot more ears than only Sumter County, but those of us who had the good fortune to sit around our radios with John painting pictures for us were richer because of his passion. Quack, you gave it all you had in the booth and that was good enough. Rest in peace. The fat lady sings. Posted in Local sports, Sports on Wednesday, April 30, 2014 Sumter Item to reveal Top 125 Sports Figures with anniversary celebration Posted Saturday, October 12, 2019 6:00 am BY DENNIS BRUNSON In celebration of its 125th anniversary, The Sumter Item is going to select the Top 125 Sports Figures during that period in Sumter, Clarendon and Lee counties. The list will be revealed in reverse order starting on Wednesday with Nos. 125-111. The remaining lists will be contain 10 figures beginning on Friday. Those lists will appear every Wednesday and Friday until it reaches the top 10 in December. At that point, one story will be released in each edition until the top figure is revealed. The list will include people who affected sports in our area both in competition and in other ways as well. Coinciding with the list reveal, we'll be asking readers to reveal their Top 10 sports figures in Item history, and we'll be hosing Autograph Giveaway contests featuring our famous local sports figures. The Sumter Item's Top 125 Sports Figures 51-60 Posted Monday, November 11, 2019 2:09 pm In celebration of its 125th anniversary, The Sumter Item has selected the Top 125 Sports Figures during that period in Sumter, Clarendon and Lee counties. The list will be revealed in reverse order, appearing every Wednesday and Friday until it reaches the top 10 in December. At that point, one story will be released in each edition until the top figure is revealed. The list will include people who affected sports in our area both in competition and in other ways as well. 60) Charles Hodgin - Charles Hodgin has been a standout tennis player throughout his adult life, but he is perhaps best known for his teaching of the sport since he arrived in Sumter in 1957. The main court at Palmetto Tennis Center is named after him, and he was recently inducted into the South Carolina Patrons Tennis Hall of Fame. 59) Bo Betchman - Bo Betchman was a standout infi elder for both Sumter High School and the Sumter P-15’s in the 1990s, helping SHS to a state championship series and the P-15’s to several state titles. He the starred at The Citadel, where he was a 2-time All-Southern Conference selection. 58) Keith West - Keith West was a 3-year starter at quarterback for Sumter High School from 1985-87, leading the Gamecocks to the 4A Division I state championship game as a sophomore and to the state title as a senior. He was the most valuable player in the Shrine Bowl before going to Wake Forest, where hestarted his fi nal two seasons, leading the Demon Deacons to a bowl victory. 57) John Quackenbush - John Quackenbush called Sumter High School football and basketball for decades as well as Sumter P-15’s baseball while mixing in some Wilson Hall athletics as well. What he was perhaps most famous for was receiving ticker-tape reports on New York Yankee games with Bobby Richardson and recreating them on the local airwaves. 56) Chuck Hodgin - Chuck Hodgin never tasted defeat as a high school tennis player at Sumter High School, winning individual state titles from 1974-77. He was No. 1 in the state in every age group as an amateur player and owned a victory over John McEnroe before going on to play at the University of South Carolina, where he was a most valuable player and a co-captain. 55) Kenny Franklin - Kenny Franklin graduated from Sumter High School in 1995 and was a track and field standout. He won individual state titles in the long jump and the triple jump and was a member of the state champion 4x400-meter relay team. He went to Clemson where he was a 7-time All-American. 54) Wilbert Singleton - Wilbert Singleton was a standout basketball player for Sumter High School, from which he graduated in 1977. He was a 4-year varsity letter winner and averaged 18.3 points and 10.9 rebounds for his career. He was named to several All-America teams before going on to play collegiately at Wake Forest. 53) Clarke Bynum - Clarke Bynum was a McDonald’s All-American in 1980, his senior season at Wilson Hall. He is Wilson Hall’s basketball career scoring leader and had his No. 24 retired as well. After a lengthy recruiting battle between North Carolina and Clemson, Bynum chose the Tigers. He averaged 5.0 points a game for his career with Clemson. 52) Wally Richardson - Wally Richardson was a 4-year starter at quarterback for Sumter High School, leading the Gamecocks to a state football title as a junior and to the championship game as a senior. SHS won 23 straight games during that stretch. He went on to Penn State where he started his fi nal two years, leading the Nittany Lions to a pair of bowl wins. He had a brief stint in the National Football League with Baltimore and Atlanta. 51) Coley White - Coley White was a standout in track and field, football and basketball before graduating from Lincoln High School in 1959. He went on to play baseball, football and track at Voorhees Junior College before moving on to Morris College where he competed in football, basketball and track. However, what White is best known for is his time as a middle school coach at McLaurin Junior High School beginning in 1970 and followed by many years at Bates Middle School. He coached football, basketball and track, and while all of his teams were very successful, he was also successful as a role model and mentor for many of his athletes.
  MILI	John also served in the U.S. Army during the Korean Conflict, stationed at Fort Jackson in Columbia.  [1]
  MILI	John also served in the U.S. Army during the Korean Conflict, stationed at Fort Jackson in Columbia.
  _UID	5EA04561BB014BEB958FFB54905FC9C889C1
  _UID	5EA04561BB014BEB958FFB54905FC9C889C1
  Death	27 Apr 2014	NHC Healthcare in West Columbia, South Carolina
  Burial	1 May 2014	Fort Jackson National Cemetery, 4170 Percival Road, Fort Jackson, Columbia, Richland County, South Carolina   [1]
  	Caughman-Harman Funeral Home Caughman-Harman Funeral Home
  Person ID	I292148	Singleton and Related Families
  Last Modified	12 Nov 2019

  
  

  Father	Howard Moore QUACKENBUSH
  Mother	Elizabeth ROBERTS
  _UID	63BEDFB21D2F49C78E6D21DD926C56A8032A
  _UID	63BEDFB21D2F49C78E6D21DD926C56A8032A
  Family ID	F195995	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family 1	Lunette GRIFFIN
  _UID	16E6A91BCA4F4E5BA4C0C4EAD3915D1B70F1
  _UID	16E6A91BCA4F4E5BA4C0C4EAD3915D1B70F1
  Children	1. John Howard “Howie” QUACKENBUSH   2. Terry QUACKENBUSH
  Family ID	F195993	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
  Last Modified	8 May 2014

  
  

  Family 2	Barbara Jean JORDAN   d. 17 Oct 2005, Palmetto Baptist Hospital, Columbia, South Carolina
  _UID	1DDF17667B43485B9EFDB7F7D5F1CF37EFED
  _UID	1DDF17667B43485B9EFDB7F7D5F1CF37EFED
  Family ID	F195994	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
  Last Modified	23 Mar 2026

  
  

• Sources

  [S20947] John R. Quackenbush. [S20948] Barbara J. Quackenbush. [S20949] John Quackenbush * 1933-2014. [S20950] Rememberting Quackenbush. [S21035] John Quackenbush * 1933-2014 - Voice of P-15’s was on the air 40+ years. [S21037] Commentary - Quackenbush was in his element calling games. [S27152] Sumter Item to reveal Top 125 Sports Figures with anniversary celebration. [S27158] TOP 125 Sports Figures, (#60-#51).