[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 61 (Wednesday, April 28, 2010)]
[Senate]
[Page S2755]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
TRIBUTE TO FATHER RAY DOHERTY
Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, on May 4, the Saint Michael's College
community will celebrate the 80th birthday of a fellow Michaelman and
longtime friend of many, Reverend Raymond Doherty. Father Ray, as he is
known to many, graduated from Saint Michael's College in 1951, and
began what has become a lifetime of service to the Saint Michael's
community. A devoted member of the Society of Saint Edmund, whose
members founded Saint Michael's over 100 years ago, Father Ray embodies
the deep commitment to social justice that has become the hallmark of a
Saint Michael's College education. It is among the many reasons I am
proud to join Saint Michael's alumni everywhere in celebrating this
milestone.
For the past seven decades, Father Ray has advised, counseled, and
supported countless Saint Michael's students, faculty, alumni, and
Vermonters. His contributions have not gone unnoticed. In 2005, a
fellow classmate established the Reverend Raymond Doherty SSE '51
Scholarship to honor Father Ray's significant contributions as a
college administrator, friend, and religious leader. Saint Michael's
students continue to learn and grow from Father Ray's contributions to
the Saint Michael's community. Countless students, and in many cases
generations of families, are lucky to know him.
As a student at Saint Michael's in the late 1940s and early 1950s,
Father Ray graced the George ``Doc'' Jacobs baseball program as a
starting and relief pitcher for the college. Later in his career,
Father Ray would serve as a key member of the college's 1987 and 1996
athletic tasks forces. Last year, the Saint Michael's community honored
that legacy by inducting him in to the Saint Michael's College Athletic
Hall of Fame.
Saint Michael's widely recognized reputation for encouraging its
students and alumni to foster peace and justice has been bolstered by
Father Ray's commitment to community service and helping those in need.
His frequent involvement in Saint Michael's signature service
organization, the Mobilization of Volunteer efforts, MOVE, has been an
example to all.
Two years ago, in 2008, Father Ray and the Edmundite community
celebrated the 50th anniversary of his ordination. As Father Ray marks
another milestone this year, I join with countless of fellow Michaelmen
in wishing him the happiest of birthdays. We all look forward to his
continued support of the Saint Michael's mission.
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