| Main | our building | who we are | historic buildings | Religous Institutions | Hyde Park History | monuments | parks | newsletters-The Big Wheel | HP Presbyterian Church | Tarzan | Ferriswheel | Paul Nitze | Ray From the Hyde Park Historical Society Archives William Henry Ray June 1, 1858 - July 3, 1889   "His hearty presence, his merry laugh, his keen eye, the strong, clear tones of his voice-all these still are with us, but these are not the man, and when they have grown dim and faint, there shall still remain clear and shining in our hearts the character and soul, that elusive spiritual essence, which no pen can describe, but which never loses its power and individuality. While he lived hearts loved him, weak spirits trusted him, strong souls recognized him, the world about him felt his power. Now that he is gone, it remains only to put in words this love and recognition, and to leave the record for those who knew him not." "Mr. Ray was a man who was possessed, like most men, of certain eccentricities, to which one had to become accustomed; but he grew immensely upon his pupils and upon the community, and the esteem in which he came to be held was well witnessed at the time of his death." "We have recorded but one death, W. H. Ray. Yonder memorial window is not more beautiful than the life it commemorates, both beautiful in service. We miss him everywhere, so do multitudes of others, but the Master had need of such a finished workman to build up the everlasting Kingdom." Though today most Hyde Parkers know nothing about the man for whom the school was named, it is clear from the tributes at the time of his death that here was a man who had made a great impact on the community in the relatively short period of years when he lived here. The records of the Hyde Park Presbyterian Church state that 700 people attended his memorial service on September 8, 1889. Mr. Ray was born in a small New England village. His father was a minister who had been raised on a farm and then attended Dartmouth College and Andover Seminary. "The boy William grew up in narrow surroundings and in the midst of hard work; but having always about him the pure atmosphere of a genuine home, where love for good and high things prevailed, where tender hearts and their aspirations were cherished and encouraged, where strict integrity and uprightness were the rule, and where Christian courtesy and gentleness softened and brightened all the home life." He studied first under his father's tutelage, then at an academy at New Ipswich, New Hampshire. He entered Dartmouth College in 1873. He worked as a teacher while in college to help meet his expenses. He graduated in 1878, then was a teacher in Mt. Vernon, NY, Yonkers, NY, and Waukegan, IL before coming to Hyde Park in 1883. "Intellectually, Mr. Ray was a bright, keen, original thinker, with a mind of unusual activity and force. He possessed to a marked degree the genius for hard work, and in addition to his school work, was daily occupied with book reviews and articles for educational journals and associations. "What he had to say upon educational topics was listened to by the world of schools and teachers as coming from one who spoke with authority. From his experience in the class room, he deduced principles and suggested methods worthy of wide application. His power as an instructor was great and usual. To sit for an hour in his class room was an education and an inspiration to an ordinary teacher. "Moreover his great, warm heart took in every boy and girl in school, and made each feel sooner or later that he had an especial interest in him. And such an interest he had indeed, for he was never so busy or hurried as not to give a word of truth to the seeking mind, of encouragement to the disheartened, of advice to the perplexed, of sympathy to the lonely. No amount of trouble was too great for him to take in the endeavor to be of service to some one who needed it. He never held himself away from his pupils. His presence was sunshine and brisk fresh air in the school room." William H. Ray and his wife Martha H. Ray joined the Hyde Park Presbyterian Church on February 29, 1884, by transfer from the First Presbyterian Church of Waukegan. They had a baby boy, Duncan, who was born April 14, 1884 and baptized at the Hyde Park church on November 2, 1884. This child died on August 29, 1885 and is buried at Oak Woods Cemetery. They also had a daughter, Margaret, who was born December 16, 1887 and lived to adulthood. She was confirmed and received into full communion at the Hyde Park Presbyterian Church on December 2, 1896. The family lived at 5316 South Jefferson (now Harper). He was the principal of Hyde Park High School and the assistant Superintendent of the Sabbath School of the Hyde Park church. He was a trustee of the church in 1889 when the present building was constructed on the corner of East 53rd Street and Blackstone Avenue. After his death on July 3, 1889, the students in the Sabbath School raised the money to install a memorial window in his honor in the fellowship hall of the church. The window is inscribed with his name and the simple motto "Service." The room is now officially called the "William H. Ray Fellowship Hall." Mrs. Ray remained in Hyde Park until the early 1900s. Her name appears in the church directory of 1900, residing at 5312 Madison (now Worcester). She is not listed in the next available directory, date 1904. Mr. Ray, his wife, and infant son Duncan are buried at Oak Woods Cemetery, in a plot on Magnolia Road, not far from the grave site of Mayor Harold Washington.   Sources: Arms, Charles H. "Annual Report, Superintendent of Sabbath School," Hyde Park Presbyterian Church, April 1, 1890. Gilchrist, Mrs. J. F. "Historical Address," Fiftieth Anniversary, Hyde Park Presbyterian Church, 1910. "History of the Hyde Park High School," Yearbook of Hyde Park High School, 1893. Registry of Members. Hyde Park Presbyterian Church. Thurston, Charlotte S. "In Memory of William Henry Ray." Yearbook of Hyde Park High School, 1893. To Top of Page

 Main | our building | who we are | historic buildings | churches | Hyde Park History | monuments | parks | newsletters-The Big Wheel | HP Presbyterian Church | Tarzan | Ferriswheel | Paul Nitze | Ray

contact