DATE: Thursday, September 18, 1997          TAG: 9709170120

SECTION: SUFFOLK SUN             PAGE: 03   EDITION: FINAL 

TYPE: THUMBS UP 

SOURCE: BY SHIRLEY BRINKLEY, STAFF WRITER 

                                            LENGTH:   83 lines

BOBBY L. RALPH HELPED RAISE $10,000 FOR YMCA CONSTRUCTION DRIVE

Bobby L. Ralph found the community service work he did in his teen years through a church and 4-H so meaningful that it evolved into a lifelong profession.

As director of Suffolk Social Services, Ralph administers all public assistance programs, including Aid to Dependent Children, Medicaid, food stamps, adoptions, foster care, and day care.

``I've always had an inner desire to work with people and to help those who can't help themselves,'' Ralph said. ``I wanted to be a part of the business world, and believed if I could put business and public service together that it would be the goal of my life.''

Ralph, 57, who is also a director of the Bank of Hampton Roads, was approached this year by bank President Jack Gibson to organize a fund-raiser for the bank.

``Jack Gibson is a man with an interest in the community, also,'' Ralph said. ``If a business is part of a community, he believes it has some obligation to invest back into the community.''

After some brainstorming, Ralph and Gibson decided on an event to benefit the Suffolk YMCA's capital improvements fund drive.

On April 24, the first Bank of Hampton Roads Charitable Golf Classic was launched. Ralph spearheaded the event, with the help of Kent Spain, Ronnie Rountree and the bank's administrative staff. The Holiday Inn Suffolk provided a luncheon, and Obici Hospital sponsored a social and clam bake in conjunction with the event.

``I've been playing golf for 30 years,'' Ralph said. ``I love the game and the challenge it presents. It's the greatest sport in the world to enjoy the company of others. We set goals, worked with the committee, contacted businesses, and the tournament filled up very quickly.''

The event was supported by 132 players representing 31 corporations from throughout Hampton Roads, Ralph said.

On Sept. 9, the bank presented a check for $10,000 to the Suffolk YMCA.

The Y has a 2,500 square-foot cardio/weight facility and a new indoor six-lane, handicapped-accessible swimming pool under construction.

``The pool is one of only three handicapped-accessible swimming pools in Tidewater,'' said Jeff Ward, executive director of the YMCA. ``We are also converting the old pool into a full-court gymnasium, which should be done in time for Youth Basketball to begin.''

Ralph, who grew up on a farm in Gates County, N.C., is the only son among four siblings. He said he learned to take care of livestock and was driving a tractor at age 11.

``I had a great relationship with my grandfather, and I enjoyed the farming experience,'' he said. ``In the 4-H program, I was taught to raise calves, hogs and lambs that went to market. It teaches you a valuable lesson. I learned what work was all about and why people should work to achieve independent status.''

After graduating from Sunbury High School, Ralph received an associate's degree in business at Chowan College. He earned a bachelor's degree in public administration at East Carolina College. He also did graduate work in business communications at the University of Georgia.

In 1962, Ralph moved to Suffolk to become a juvenile probation officer with the Nansemond County Department of Public Welfare. By 1968, he was superintendent of the office, a post he held for two years before becoming executive director of the Suffolk/Nansemond Chamber of Commerce.

``I wanted to make a change to see if I'd made the right decision for public service,'' he said. ``I enjoyed it, but after working in both fields, I decided that what I wanted could be better served in the field of public service.''

In 1971, Ralph returned to his former position with public welfare in what had become Nansemond City. Later, Nansemond City merged with Suffolk. In 1974, he assumed his present position.

Ralph has been a member of the Eureka Baptist Church since age 11, has served as a deacon, and fills in as speaker on laymen's Sunday. He is a member of the American Public Welfare Association, Virginia League of Social Services Executives, Suffolk Elks, and the Suffolk Recreational and Charitable Association, which operates the Suffolk Golf Course.

In his spare time, Ralph golfs at the Suffolk Golf Course and the Duckwoods Country Club at Nags Head, N.C., where he has won club championships.

Most of all, Ralph said he enjoys the close relationship of his family. He and his wife, Ann, have a daughter, Wendy Blausey, who is a second-grade teacher at Nansemond-Suffolk Academy. ILLUSTRATION: Staff photo by MICHAEL KESTNER

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