In noting John Ramsey’s retirement, the faculty of the College of Arts and Sciences adopted a resolution that reads as follows:
“During these 42 years, Professor Ramsey had a profound influence on the University. To the classroom, he brought a wide range of professional knowledge, a grace and a wit that was peculiarly his own, and at the same time, a demand for a high standard of academic performance from his students. Those who attended his lectures found to their surprise and sometimes to their dismay, that John Ramsey’s version of history included art, music, literature, and philosophy. Professor Ramsey insisted that his students, his colleagues in the History Department, and the University at large pursue the highest standards of academic excellence, and in the many capacities in which he served as member of almost every important committee, as a public lecturer, and as Chairman of the History Department, he never lost sight of this objective. Although his position as Chairman of the History Department was as close as Professor Ramsey ever came to crossing over to the administrative side, no one commanded more attention or respect from the officials of the University, who constantly sought his advice and counsel. His circle of friends and admirers is so wide and varied as to defy description. They are of all ages and from all walks for life, and they know him as a counselor, a master teller of tales, and a gourmet cook. He is tolerant of their intellectual and moral infirmities while at the same time maintaining his own rigorous moral and ethical code. Though he would consider it invidious to be compared to the Apostle Paul, nevertheless, it may be said of Professor Ramsey, that “he has fought the good fight, he has finished the course, and he has kept the faith.”