[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 122 (Thursday, July 19, 2018)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5090-S5093]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                      Remembering Governor Bob Ray

  Now, Madam President, I would like to address my colleagues in the 
U.S. Senate on the life and death of Governor Bob Ray, a wonderful 
Governor for the State of Iowa over a long period of time. I wish to 
honor him in this way.
  I wish to pay tribute to my good friend and an exceptional Iowan 
whose life and legacy will be remembered in my home State for 
generations to come. As the people of Iowa mourn the loss of our 38th 
Governor, I would like to share about a few ways that Robert D. Ray 
made Iowa a better place to grow. Looking back at his lifetime of 
service, it seems nearly impossible that one person could wear so many 
hats and reach the highest rungs of distinguished service in both his 
private life and in the public sector.
  After graduating from high school in 1946, Bob enlisted in the U.S. 
Army to serve his country that way. He returned from service and earned 
undergraduate and law degrees at Drake University in Des Moines, IA. He 
married the love of his life, Billie, and together they raised three 
daughters.
  In addition to serving 14 years as our State's chief executive from 
1969 to 1983, Governor Ray also served as our State party chairman at 
the age of 35, chairman of the National Governors Association, interim 
mayor of Des Moines, 11th president of Drake University, U.S. delegate 
to the United Nations Conference on Refugees, and CEO and board member 
to a number of nonprofit and for-profit corporations.
  Reading such an outstanding resume, one might come to the conclusion 
that this Iowan must have an outsized ego to match. To that, I can 
personally affirm that Bob Ray was a humble leader driven by a 
servant's heart. He brought honesty, dignity, and integrity to the 
campaign trail and, in turn, to State government.
  His policy achievements as our 38th Governor made government work 
better for the people by reorganizing State government, such as the 
creation of the department of transportation, and modernizing the 
National Guard. Those are just a few of the reorganizations. But 
through doing this, he strengthened rock-solid Iowa values in 
education, conservation, good government, and fiscal stewardship. It 
was Governor Ray who signed Iowa's--we call it the bottle bill. You get 
a redemption for a can you return instead of throwing it in the dump. 
He signed it into law to keep our roadways clean and our State looking 
beautiful.
  Arguably, the lasting measure of his governorship is defined by moral 
leadership, and particularly as evidenced after the fall of Saigon in 
1975.
  As a result of the ending of the Vietnam war, Governor Ray's actions 
transcended the riverbanks of America's heartland to reach thousands of 
refugees across the world. Those refugees were fleeing communism in 
Southeast Asia. Governor Ray persuaded President Ford to allow Iowa to 
welcome the Tai Dam to Iowa, allowing this close-knit ethnic group to 
stay intact and to resettle in Iowa.
  In 1978, we had another wave of Southeast Asians who were desperate 
to escape communism in South Vietnam. They became known as the boat 
people who put their lives in peril for the pearl of freedom that we 
offer in America. Bob Ray put his political life on the line to open 
Iowa's homes and hearts to rescue them from suffering and death. In so 
doing, he saved the lives of thousands of people, including generations 
of new Iowans yet to be born.
  Yet again, Governor Ray responded in 1979 to another humanitarian 
crisis going on in Southeast Asia by launching the Iowa SHARES Program. 
The acronym ``SHARES'' stands for Iowa ``Sends Help to Aid Refugees and 
End Starvation.'' That very first year, the program raised more than 
$600,000 in less than 1 month--small donations to send food and 
medicine to starving people on the Cambodian border. Volunteer nurses 
and doctors from Iowa also went to save these people, who suffered 
under the harsh Khmer Rouge regime of Pol Pot.
  When one of those members of the boat people first learned of 
Governor Ray's passing, she was moved to tears. Now a wife and mother 
of five children, she prayed for Governor Ray, in fact referring to him 
as ``Saint Bob Ray.'' She attributed his courage and generosity to 
saving thousands of people just like her.
  At his funeral, Senator Ernst and I saw a whole part of the church 
filled with these Southeast Asians who very much wanted to express 
their appreciation for Governor Ray's leadership by being there at that 
funeral.
  In 2005, Governor Ray received Iowa's highest civilian honor, the 
Iowan Award. It is a well-deserved honor for this legendary man of 
honor. He is a statesman, a humanitarian hero, and, of course, to those 
who loved him the most, he was a husband, dad, and grandpa.
  Years after Governor Ray left the Governor's mansion, called Terrace 
Hill, he launched the Robert D. and Billie Ray Center at Drake 
University. That center's mission is dedicated to improving civility 
and developing ethical leaders at home and throughout the world. And 
for all of us, we know that in a society less civil now than it has 
been throughout most of the history of our country, that center is 
going to serve a very needed purpose. For those who know the story of 
Bob Ray, his ray of light connected with the center will inspire 
generations of leaders for years to come.

  Barbara and I join our fellow Iowans in extending our condolences to 
Billie and the entire Ray family. We will miss this extraordinary 
Iowan. Our State benefited in countless ways because he shared his gift 
so generously to make Iowa an even better place to grow for generations 
to come.

[[Page S5091]]

  Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that three eulogies that 
highlight Governor Ray's life as a Governor, political humanitarian, 
and a man with strong family values be printed in the Record.
  These eulogies are from David Oman, who served as chief of staff to 
Governor Ray; Ken Quinn, a former U.S. Ambassador to Cambodia who 
worked on the refugee resettlement as a member of the Ray 
administration and today serves as president of the World Food Prize 
Foundation in Des Moines; and the third is from Scott Raecker, who 
serves as director of the Robert D. and Billie Ray Center at Drake 
University. I hope my colleagues will read these eulogies because there 
is no way that anything I say today can do justice to what they said in 
their separate eulogies.
  There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in 
the Record, as follows:

                          Robert D. Ray Eulogy


                               David Oman

        One more time, for the last time, Bob Ray has done what he 
     did so often in life--bring people together, in this church, 
     at the Capitol last evening, on social media, and in 
     conversations.
        Lessons from his life have been learned and re-learned 
     this week, none better than the simple reminder that a keen 
     mind, warm heart, and a bias for action--by one person--can 
     cause great change, and uncork goodwill among so many.
        Gov. Ray's life ended without regrets and remorse. 
     Embracing his example, we're better able to live our lives 
     with renewal and resolve.
        Yesterday, a motorcade brought the Ray family past many 
     touchpoints in Bob's and Billie's lives--Terrace Hill, Drake 
     University, and Theodore Roosevelt High School.
        President Roosevelt, in 1910, a year after leaving the 
     White House, spoke in Paris about leadership, and making a 
     difference.
        He said, `above all stands character, a man's force and 
     courage, his good faith and sense of honor . . . self-
     restraint, common sense, the power of individual 
     responsibility, and acting in conjunction with others.'
        TR didn't know it, but he previewed the life of Robert D. 
     Ray, or as we called him, RDR.
        Another President Roosevelt, Franklin, died at the end of 
     World War II. FDR and RDR had something in common--a very 
     real human touch. During FDR's funeral, an aging African 
     American man wept inconsolably on a Pennsylvania Ave. 
     sidewalk.
        A reporter approached timidly and asked, `Did you know the 
     President?' The man said, `No . . . but he knew me.'
        Good leaders, good people, know, in a broad sense--and in 
     the moment--what other people feel and need.
        Bob Ray had that quality. He knew Iowans, or as he liked 
     to say `our Iowans.'
        People who had a two-minute phone call or 20 minute 
     meeting, or just a handshake at the Fair, felt they mattered 
     and were the most important person to Gov. Ray at the time . 
     . . and they were.
        Sometimes, Bob Ray wasn't aware of his impact.
        Two years ago, at Wesley Acres, Gov. Ray wasn't in room 
     146, nor physical therapy or the lunch room. A nurse and I 
     couldn't find him. It turned out he was in P.T.; he told us 
     we'd been lost.
        Then the nurse said to me `Gov. Ray changed my life . . .' 
     I asked her to tell me more.
        It seems her late teen life was not good in 1969; she 
     doubted herself. Then she listened to Gov. Ray's first 
     Inaugural Address on the radio. She added, `He talked about 
     the future. He said the future was going to better and 
     brighter. I felt he was talking about me and my life. He gave 
     me hope. My life turned out alright, and now, I get to help 
     him.'
        Gov. Ray spoke with thousands of Iowans through four of 
     his campaigns in seven years, ending the two-year term era. 
     Iowans quickly got to know his openness and decency . . . 
     civility and sincerity . . . humanity and humor.
        And who didn't love his smile?
        That genuine persona stood in stark contrast to the 
     erosion of trust in a Washington awash in Watergate. In '74, 
     Bob Ray stood against the tide. He won 59% of the vote when 
     nine other GOP governors were swept away. He acquired more 
     momentum, if not a mandate.
        Governor Ray knew how to campaign. He knew how to govern. 
     And, he knew the difference.
        The late Lt. Gov. Arthur Neu said, `Ray would take his 
     time making decisions, but when his mind was made up, he was 
     a tough as nails.'
        The other evening, I wrote down Ray policy initiatives and 
     stopped at 30. Some were ahead of their time, some were 
     copied by other states. They covered tax policy, streamlined 
     government, education, conservation, human services, human 
     rights, public safety, agriculture and transportation.
       I can't list them all today. As they say about baseball 
     stats . . . `you can look `em up.'
        The Gov. would at times borrow or co-opt good ideas from 
     Democrats. They didn't know whether to laugh or cry, but he 
     always gave them credit.
        Gov. Ray looked beyond the next year or cycle. He paired 
     with Gov. Culver's father, Sen. Culver, to set up the Iowa 
     2000 project. In his first term, Gov. Vilsack cloned it with 
     Iowa 2010.
       In 1978, Gov. Ray came up with a new theme `progress with 
     stability' as part of a larger effort throughout his 
     administration to better connect Iowa's cities and towns with 
     rural Iowa.
       In small towns he would nudge with nuance `stability with 
     progress.' Bob Ray communicated deftly. He was transparent 
     with and respected the press. He helped define modern Iowa 
     and did define the modern Iowa governorship.
        With Billie Ray and three active daughters, the five 
     defined the modern Iowa First Family.
        We thank you for supporting him, and for your sacrifice.
        A governor's work is never easy. Gov. Ray's four 
     successors, all with us today, have said privately and 
     publicly, over time and this week, how much they respected 
     him and his leadership.
        Bill Clinton was the 32 year-old Gov.-elect of Arkansas 
     when he met Bob Ray, then 50, at the NGA `new governors 
     school' in November '78.
        The two hit it off. It was Ray `charisma' and Clinton 
     `charisma on steroids.'
        Clinton credited Ray with mentoring him on how to be a 
     good governor. When he would come to Des Moines as President 
     in the 90s; he would often ask about Bob Ray and word would 
     get back to us. Wednesday, President Clinton tweeted a 
     heartfelt remembrance of his mentor and friend.
        Ray met one Pope . . . but worked with seven Presidents. 
     There is apparently no public record of what Richard Nixon 
     thought of him. The tape recorders must have been turned off.
        President Ford said, `I relied heavily on Bob's good 
     advice.'
        President Reagan: `The success you experienced was the 
     product of good ideas, hard work, a whole lot of follow 
     through--just what you'd expect to find in Iowa.'
        President George H. W. Bush said this well, `He never 
     turned his back on the Party, but somehow transcended Party 
     and made public service better.'
        Like Bush 41 and Jimmy Carter with their post-
     Presidencies, Bob Ray also defined the role of `former' 
     governor.
        His ongoing service as CEO, mayor, and Drake president was 
     exemplary. Ray backed countless charities and good works. 
     Once I told him `you've supported about everything except 
     `Iowans for Term Limits.'
        To close, in the years ahead, governors and perhaps 
     Presidents like Ronald Reagan was, will be in Room 9 of the 
     Capitol. Gov. Branstad fittingly designated it the `Robert D. 
     Ray Conference Room.'
        Governors have made many important decisions in that room, 
     including Ray's to re-locate and welcome legal political 
     refugees to Iowa.
        Future governors will see a large, wonderful oil painting 
     of Gov. Ray. That portrait is behind me. It returns to the 
     Governor's Office today.
        Next year, or 2028, or 2046 (Iowa's Bicentennial year) or 
     any year, governors will sit in the Ray Conference Room--
     coping with complicated, controversial, even morality laden 
     decisions.
        Our Iowans and future Iowans can hope those governors 
     pause, in deliberative, decisive moments, look up at the 
     portrait, and think . . .
        What would Robert D. Ray do?
        How would he lead?
                                  ____


                   Eulogy for Governor Robert D. Ray


                      Ambassador Kenneth M. Quinn

        One of the first refugees Governor Ray rescued and 
     resettled in Iowa was a young man who was trapped in one of 
     the most treacherous and threatening environments on earth--
     Washington, D.C. That person he rescued was me.
        He brought me and my wife Le Son and our children home to 
     Iowa where we became part of Governor Ray's extended family. 
     For 4 years, I worked closely with the Governor on many of 
     his humanitarian endeavors.
        A few weeks ago, I was with Governor and Mrs. Ray 
     recalling many of these experiences--and a flood of memories 
     came back about when we were together, including:
        --In the winter of 1975, at the celebration for the Tai 
     Dam refugees from Laos, whom he had rescued and resettled 
     together in Iowa in order to preserve their culture, language 
     and kinship. The Tai Dam had written to every Governor in 
     America, but Robert Ray was the only Governor to answer their 
     plea. He convinced President Ford to permit all of the Tai 
     Dam to come to Iowa. They have been here ever since.
        --Or, on a cold January night in 1979, while he and I 
     watched the video of a boat filled with Vietnamese ``boat 
     people'' refugees, who had escaped from Communist oppression 
     only to be pushed back out to sea by local officials fearful 
     of being inundated because no country in the world, including 
     the United States, was accepting any more refugees from 
     Indochina. We watched in horror as their boat broke up in the 
     waves, with the refugees drowning before our eyes.
        This so impacted Governor Ray that he wrote late that very 
     night to the President, saying that Iowa would double the 
     number of refugees it had resettled if only the President 
     would reopen America's doors.
        His letter and lobbying in Washington worked! America's 
     doors were reopened.

[[Page S5092]]

        --Six months later, in June 1979 we were together in 
     Geneva, Switzerland, at the UN conference on the Boat People, 
     where Vice President Walter Mondale announced that America 
     would accept 168,000 new refugees each year. This led to over 
     1,000,000 refugees from Indochina eventually being resettled 
     in the United States.
        The assembled diplomatic delegations gave a spontaneous 
     standing ovation to America's humanitarian leadership, a 
     leadership that began when Robert D. Ray became the first 
     governing official anywhere in the world to say he would 
     accept the Boat People refugees.
        --A few months later in October 1979, I was with Governor 
     Ray at Living History Farm in Des Moines, as Pope John Paul 
     II appeared before 350,000 people. Among those bringing the 
     gifts to the Pope to celebrate Mass were Vietnamese Catholic 
     refugees in their colorful native dress.
        --Two weeks later the Governor and Mrs. Ray and I were at 
     a place called Sa Kaew in Thailand where 30,000 victims of 
     the Cambodian genocide were lying strewn across a field. 
     Emaciated, starving and beset with disease, they were dying 
     at the rate of 50-100 a day, with their bodies being 
     bulldozed into mass graves.
        --This scene of incredible human suffering led Governor 
     Ray to create Iowa SHARES. Iowa Sends Help to Aid Refugees 
     and End Starvation. With contributions by Iowans across the 
     state, we rushed food and medicine that arrived on Christmas 
     Day, to feed people who had been eating insects to survive. 
     This was followed by volunteer Iowa doctors and nurses. 
     Together this saved thousands of lives.
        --On that same trip, we were in Nong Khai in Thailand, 
     where the Tai Dam, Lao and Hmong refugees were waiting 
     uncertain about their fate. These refugees said they wanted 
     to show us their ``symbol of hope.'' They took us across a 
     muddy field to a thatched hut. Beckoning us to look inside, 
     they said ``there is our symbol.'' Tacked on the wall was the 
     Iowa Department of Transportation highway map. Governor 
     Robert Ray had made the shape of our state a symbol of hope 
     for people languishing in a refugee camp 12,000 miles from 
     Iowa.
        --There was one other event where neither the Governor nor 
     I were present but which has great meaning for today. In 
     2004, the Catholic Bishop of Des Moines visited a very ill 
     Pope John Paul II. When the Bishop reminded the Pontiff of 
     his visit to Living History Farms, the Pope heard ``Iowa''--
     in a halting voice the frail Pope said--``Iowa . . . Farms . 
     . . Refugees.'' The man who put the words Iowa and Refugees 
     on the lips of a dying Pope, and who made the shape of Iowa a 
     symbol of hope around the world, was Governor Robert D. Ray.
        The common thread in all of these experiences was that 
     Governor Ray was driven by moral impulses planted deep inside 
     him by his parents, the educational institutions he attended, 
     and his religion, and nurtured by his wife Billie and his 
     children.
        When confronted by scenes of human suffering, Robert Ray 
     responded, not as a political candidate doing an electoral 
     calculation, but as a Christian following a moral imperative 
     from the parable of the Good Samaritan.
        --Robert D. Ray saw that his obligation was to his fellow 
     human beings who were suffering and dying, even if the color 
     of their skin, the language they spoke, and the religion they 
     followed were all different from his own;
        --Or, even if they were thousands and thousands of miles 
     away on the other side of our planet, or adrift in the ocean.
        Through his actions, Governor Robert Ray answered the 
     eternal question--``Am I my brother's keeper?''
        Even though the impact of Robert Ray's leadership would 
     often occur far from Iowa; The one story that most poignantly 
     captures Robert Ray's humanitarian legacy and his place in 
     the pantheon of Iowa's greatest heroes took place about 10 
     years ago, not in the Governor's office or far from Iowa, but 
     in a supermarket in West Des Moines.
        As Governor Ray described it to me, he and Mrs. Ray were 
     shopping for groceries, pushing their cart down the aisle, 
     when, as can happen, they almost bumped into a cart being 
     pushed by another shopper--in this case, an Asian man.
        When he saw it was Governor Ray, the man stopped; walked 
     over to the Governor and extending his hand, said ``you saved 
     my life. I just want to say thank you.''
        Today thousands of Tai Dam, Lao, Hmong, Cambodians and 
     Vietnamese who live in Iowa just want to say thank you. In a 
     very real sense, Governor Robert Ray saved them all.
        And all of us, whom he made so proud to say we are 
     Iowans--we just want to say thank you.
        Governor Ray uplifted my life. He uplifted all of our 
     lives. And his legacy will uplift countless, thousands and 
     thousands of others far into the future.
                                  ____


                 Governor Robert D. Ray--Family Eulogy


                            J. Scott Raecker

       On behalf of Mrs. Ray and the entire Ray family I want to 
     express their sincere appreciation for the outpouring of 
     love, support and prayers at this time. They have asked for 
     me to share that following the service there will be a 
     reception at The Robert D. and Billie Ray Center on the Drake 
     campus--which is walking distance from the church.
       So here we are Mrs. Ray, back at First Christian Church 
     where your lifelong love story with Governor Ray started 73 
     years ago. You met through this church and church camp where 
     you were elected King and Queen. You became high school 
     sweethearts--you the smart looking girl with the car and 
     Governor Ray the shy school-boy athlete.
       Together we've looked at the pictures of the two of you in 
     those early years--you and Governor Ray had a youthful 
     twinkle in your eyes and a shining smile that said--`I'm in 
     love'--and that's one thing that did not change over all 
     these years.
       Recently you told me that in the last several months it was 
     just nice to sit and hold hands and tell each other `I love 
     you'--and as I observed these moments, I saw that same 
     twinkle and shining smile in both of you--and, oh my heavens, 
     it still radiated--`I'm so in love.'
       You also shared that you never had a fight--and I believe 
     you. However, with all due respect, it has come to my 
     attention through an un-named grandchild that there were a 
     few disagreements--mostly over ice cream at McDonalds, and 
     they were resolved with another Diet Coke and a loving 
     grandpa slipping a dollar under the table to a very happy 
     granddaughter.
       In your understated way you told me he was a `special 
     person'--which he was--and together you were spectacular . . 
     . you were always his beloved Billie Lee--and you most 
     certainly were his beloved soul mate.
       Mrs. Ray, here is the message for the rest of us today--if 
     there is an aspect of Governor Ray's life that should inspire 
     us, and we should seek to emulate, it should be this--his 
     excellence as a man devoted to his family--and that passion 
     was rooted deeply in his faith, his love for you and his 
     desire to serve others in love.
       It's no secret that Governor Ray's favorite titles in life 
     were husband, father and grandfather--and he took them 
     seriously--and with good humor.
       It has been said that you can tell what kind of parent you 
     are by how your grandchildren turn out--and how your children 
     care for you as you age. And by all measures Mrs. Ray--you 
     and the Governor were an extreme success.
       Randi, Lu Ann and Vicki, he loved you girls--
     unconditionally. And, a gift he gave you . . . is that you 
     all know that fact.
       Whether singing out to you as his `Miss America' or, 
     telling you at a time you needed to hear it the most, that 
     `you are always beautiful in my eyes'--he loved you in 
     actions that reflected his words.
       And even when some boundaries needed to be set (you know 
     what I'm talking about), that was also done in love, 
     sometimes frustratingly so for you as he always wanted to 
     talk things out and think through the best resolutions and 
     consequences.
       He was your hero, he was patient and calm, and even in the 
     darkest moments he looked for the positive. He was inclusive 
     as reflected best in his love for you son-in-laws.
       And one of the things I have heard, and seen from you as 
     daughters, and the grandchildren as well, is this--his 
     admonition to ``Do more, speak less--and if you have to 
     speak, think before you speak.''
       Now for you grandchildren, Robert, Jeffrey, Billie Ray, 
     John, Michael, Emma, Leah and Sadie--he absolutely adored and 
     cherished you--he was so proud of each of you. He talked more 
     about you than anything else. And, he loved taking pictures 
     of you.
       I've watched you grow up directly, or through his stories, 
     and see so many traits of him in each of you. In fact, you 
     shared with me the traits you possess that you saw in your 
     grandpa. And here they are, listen closely . . .
       Empathy, kindness, humor, humility, honesty, sense of 
     justice, respect, compassion, considerate, loyalty, self-
     confident, attention to detail, positive, caring, adventurous 
     spirit, modest, selfless, charisma, perseverance, 
     appreciation for other cultures, a good and sometimes slow 
     decision-maker, a genuine and good hearted person, never mad, 
     peace-seeking and relationship centered.
       And of course, love of ice cream and chocolate chip 
     cookies.
       You also shared that one of the qualities you admired most 
     about him was that he was always `more interested in your 
     opinion than telling you his opinion.' A good lesson for all 
     of us.
       And I loved this trait you shared--`he adored my grandma--
     and so do I.'
       Think of this list for a minute--these are the traits that 
     emanate from you--that is what a lasting legacy looks like. 
     And each of you grandchildren will continue to make your 
     lives, and the world, a better place because of these traits.
       And, for the rest of us, these are qualities we also saw in 
     your grandpa that continue to shape our lives.
       When you unpack the list and look deeply into the character 
     qualities you share with your grandpa--there is something 
     that resonates clearly--and for your grandpa it was developed 
     in this church early in his life.
       They are called `fruits of the Spirit'--they are found in 
     Galatians 5 and they define your grandfather's life--they are 
     ``love, joy, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 
     gentleness, and self-control.''
       Of these fruits of Governor Ray's spirit, love was first 
     and foremost--and the fruits of his spirit were these words . 
     . . in action.
       Mrs. Ray, Randi, Lu Ann, Vicki, grandchildren, and the 
     entire family--Governor Ray's family legacy lives on in you 
     and is a lesson for all of us.
       His faith driven love served us all--and while most 
     directly to you the family--he

[[Page S5093]]

     also served those of us who were blessed to call him a 
     friend.
       Governor Ray loved quotes and we shared many over the 
     years. One that I gave him that he liked was from Richard 
     Bach who said:
       ``The bond that links your true family is not one of blood, 
     but of respect and joy in each other's life. Rarely do 
     members of one family grow up under the same roof.''
       I thought of this quote as I spoke with Tai Dam refugee and 
     family friend, Som Baccam, this week when she referred to 
     Governor Ray as her `savior'--and he literally was.
       Savior is a strong and powerful word, and when I reflect on 
     times Governor Ray used that word in our discussions about 
     faith--he talked about how his Savior demonstrated 
     unconditional love--sacrificial love--service love--so that 
     we could love others and know our eternal home.
       Governor Ray has left our earthly home and created a void 
     in our lives . . . and that hurts, however, I would challenge 
     us to think that the real void would be if we had never had 
     his presence in our lives.
       Governor Ray set the standard for how to treat people . . . 
     and we can all be better people if we look to Governor Ray as 
     a model.
       For me, and I hope for each of you, I want to be a better 
     person each day because of Governor Ray and his presence in 
     my life. I've felt that way since the day I met him . . . and 
     I will for the rest of my life.
       The inspiration of Governor Ray's life is that we shine our 
     light in the lives of others when we demonstrate love--and we 
     must remember to shine that light first and foremost with our 
     family and friends.
       I challenge us all to honor his legacy by aspiring to be 
     better people--by shining our light in our homes, with our 
     family--and with our friends.
       Letting our light shine may be his most important lesson.
       One more time--Governor Ray leading the way.