The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
‘The voice’ dies at 89
George Abram’s booming voice presided over Oberlin High School basketball games for 39 years
George Abram, the voice of Oberlin sports for 39 years, died March 18 after a brief illness. He was 89.
Ronnie Rimbert, a member of Oberlin City Council, and Abram were friends for many years.
Rimbert said Abram was more than just the booming voice announcing threepointers over the roar of capacity crowds at Oberlin High School basketball games.
“He was a baseball coach, a soccer coach, a Mr. Everything,” Rimbert said. “He was a hell of a mentor, a great friend and a prince of men. He will be sorely missed.”
Abram also was one of the founding board members and a past president of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Lorain County, said executive director Mike Conibear.
“He was, obviously, a true mentor to myself and others,” Conibear said. “He believed in this community. He was always committed to the children we serve and to the community.
“He’s always been an inspiration to all who’ve been involved with George, and it’s a true loss of a friend to the Boys and Girls Clubs and the community.”
Abram told The Morning Journal in 2017 that he started doing voice work as general manager for WJMO and WABQ in Cleveland before he was asked by thencoach Sid Scott to announce Oberlin High games in about 1977.
His deep, resonant voice and emphasis on the latter syllables when announcing basketball scores quickly grew his popularity among fans and the community.
He said it was his special flair on delivering the score that kept people interested in him after he retired from announcing for the Oberlin High.
Abram told the story of a day where he was walking through Midway Mall in Elyria when a woman and her two young children approached him.
“One kid looked up at his mom and says, ‘Mom, there goes that two man,’” he said with a laugh. “Little things like that. I stopped, shook hands and talked to them awhile, and I still don’t know who they were, but they knew me.”
Despite his age, Abram could recall the names, numbers, heights and occasionally highlights of players throughout his tenure with the school; which was so long that he had the opportunity to announce multiple generations of players.
“I went from the beginning where I would be doing kids’ games, they’d grow up and begin to have kids, so I’d do their games,” he said. “And then, I think, maybe that third generation.
“It’s real interesting when you look up one day and you see a kid, then you look at the roster and there’s a name that sounds familiar. So, I’m thinking, ‘I wonder if that’s so-and-so’s kid.’”
Abram had retired from his work with Oberlin High to focus on announcing Oberlin College sports, taking care of his ailing wife, Cleo Abram, and his work as a real estate agent with Howard Hanna.
He was recognized by Oberlin High for his impact on the sports department and the community during half time of a basketball game against Lutheran West on Feb. 24, 2017.
As he delivered his trademark “THREEE” from center court, the packed stands erupted leaving Abram with a smile.
He said at the time, though, he did not do it for the thanks or the cheers.
“If nobody ever said ‘thank you,’ it wouldn’t matter; that’s what I wanted to do,” he told The Morning Journal. “If they want to say thank you like the tribute, then wow man, they thought that much of me to do that.”