Ray entered Princeton as a sophomore, majored in electrical engineering, joined Tower and Army ROTC, and played rugby. Born into an aviation-oriented family, he earned his pilot’s license with the Flying Club.
After graduation Ray was commissioned a second lieutenant in the Army’s 1st Cavalry Division and deployed to Vietnam in 1965, earning the Bronze Star for service in the battle of An Ninh. Wounded, he was evacuated to the Valley Forge VA hospital, recovering to serve as a Green Beret in the Army Reserves.
He joined Pan Am, earned an MBA from Harvard, and served as a federal government executive before leading a regional commuter airline and then business development for a global logistics company. Changed by Sept. 11, Ray earned a Ph.D. from UNLV and started a new career in air-traffic management research and development, supporting the FAA and NASA. In recent years, Ray consulted with Raytheon on safely integrating unmanned aircraft into US airspace.
Ray’s first wife, Julia Bourne Young, died in 2000, He is survived by his second wife, Julijra, his daughters, Holly Street and Heather Florance; sons Alex and Benjamin; nine grandchildren; and brothers Ralph and Brian, to whom the class extends its condolences.