He prepared for Princeton at Episcopal High School in Baltimore, where he participated in various sports, dramatics, and debating. At Princeton Ras majored in English and was a member of Charter Club. He was a member of the lightweight crew that was undefeated for two seasons.
Upon graduation he served with the Army in Algiers in the Office of Strategic Services. Upon discharge he earned a master’s degree from Harvard. He then became an assistant to the director of the Foreign Policy Research Institute at the University of Pennsylvania. This led to his earning a Ph.D. and working in Washington.
Between 1961 and 1966 he was an investment economist with American Metal Climax. This was followed by work at IBM, teaching at CCNY, and a trip to Africa with the U.S. Trade Mission.
Ras had a very busy retirement and was occupied with learning to paint with watercolors. His success led to his participating in various shows in the Washington, D.C., area. Between 1994 and 2015 he wrote and published six books.
He is survived by his wife, Sue; her two daughters; and his son Alec. His sons Helm and Nick predeceased him.