Deceased January 5, 2018
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In Memory
Another member of the class of 1954 has left us. Ray Hanselman passed away on Jan. 5, 2018. He was 85.
Ray entered Amherst from White Plains (N.Y.) High School along with his twin brother, Jack, who died in 1996. Jack was my freshman roommate in James, and Ray lived across from us in Stearns, and in the days before cell phones they would communicate by opening the windows to talk (loudly—there was no other way)!
Were we that primitive in 1950? I guess so. It did leave the room pretty cold in winter.
The twins both joined Theta Xi, where Ray was pledge master and representative to the HMC. A chemistry major, he was on the lacrosse team. Following Amherst, Ray attended MIT, where he received a Ph.D.
He worked on the Mercury Space Program for AVCO in New Jersey and then relocated to Concord, Mass., where he was employed by Polaroid, Waters Milipore, Active Impulse Systems and Lingo Motors in leadership roles in research and development. During his years in Massachusetts, he served Concord on the library committee and board of assessors, and as an election officer. He is also remembered for his love of the outdoors, travel and the family farm in Vermont.
Ray’s survivors include his wife of 60 years, Judith; three sons, Eric (wife Carol), John (wife Rachel) and Ted ’85 (wife Carolann); and seven grandchildren. They remember him for being supportive of all their goals. He is reputed to have told them that any challenge could be met by a combination of intellect, industriousness, duct tape and epoxy glue! What good advice!
Hank Tulgan ’54