I don?t think anybody ever had a bad word to say about Ben. When you needed a friend, he was there. He was a friend to everyone. He was well-known in the community.

He just gave of himself and was very active in borough politics. Anybody who came in touch with him. That was the effect Ben had on people. There was a huge procession for him. I have been to a lot of funerals, and this was the biggest I have ever seen (50-75 cars). Ben was a warrior. That was how he fought the disease.

He loved Great Valley football so much. It meant so much to him.

He was determined to beat it. He was quite an inspiration to all of us.

I don?t think it takes away from the luster of the conference. It?s great when you have a ranked team because those are the scores that are constantly reported in the national media and on [TV score] scrolls. It helps get face time on TV, but it?s not necessarily bad. Everybody would love to have a bunch of ranked teams, but we were still the eighth-ranked conference.

I suppose 'eclectic' is not the best word to describe him. But I think his impact has been felt in so many areas, not just the younger kids that were on his team, but the adults in the community.