MEMORIAL ARTICLE Published Assembly Jul '90  Ray Moore Wagoner, Jr.   No. 15335  Class of 1946  Died 17 September 1962 in Paris, France, aged 39 years. Interment: West Point Cemetery, West Point, NY.

 RAY MOORE WAGONER, JR. was born in Boise, Idaho, on 22 May 1923. He graduated from Boise High School 14th in a class of 600. His achievements in high school were not limited to academics. He was the senior officer in the high school ROTC as well as the director of the school weekly broadcast on the Boise radio station, KIDO. In this capacity, he interviewed Frank Church, subsequently US Senator from Idaho, on the occasion of Frank's winning the national oratorical contest. Ray did everything in school plays from acting to selling advertisements and tickets. As was to be his forte throughout his career, he was sought after because it was known that he could be depended on to complete any task in the most thorough manner.

 After graduation from high school, Ray attended Boise Junior College for two years, studying mechanical engineering. Again, Ray excelled academically and participated in a wide range of activities from school plays to the college's weekly radio broadcast. His last year at Boise junior College, Ray received his appointment to West Point and joined the Class of '46 on I July 1943.

 Serious, conscientious and a natural student, Ray readily adjusted to life as a cadet. With his sense of humor, warm smile and pleasing personality, he was well liked by all. One of Ray's most admirable traits was his unflappable disposition. This helped him absorb the pressures of plebe year. None of his friends remember him ever "loosing his cool" or becoming angry. One of his classmates who served on the Honor Committee with Ray recalls that again and again he would come up with observations that would go to the heart of the matter and provide insights that others overlooked. Upon graduation, Ray went into the Corps of Engineers.

 After the usual branch schooling, Ray was assigned to Guam with the 93rd Construction Battalion. Again Ray's innate ability and character were evident. A classmate on Guam at the same time recalls what a professional officer Ray was even then. He was knowledgeable in his duties and respected by his superiors and subordinates alike. But Guam became more than just an assignment for Ray. It was there that he met and became engaged to Doris Margaret Hellmann. Doris was the secretary to then Brigadier General Joseph S. Bradley. Upon their engagement in June of 1948, General Bradley wrote a letter to Doris' parents in which he described Ray as "an exceptionally fine youngster. I have observed him and his work for several months. In my opinion he is an outstanding young engineer who possesses excellent habits and character, in fact, beyond reproach." Ray and Doris were married 30 April 1949 in Arlington, Massachusetts. After Guam, Ray attended the University of Illinois where he received a master of science in civil engineering.

 Following a tour in Europe, Ray was assigned to Fort Belvoir, Virginia and while there was selected to serve as aide to Governor Smilie of Idaho during President Eisenhower's inauguration in January 1957. In 1960, Ray was assigned as the assistant area engineer for the Corps of Engineers Ballistic Missile Construction Office to build the Atlas F sites for the Air Force at Dyess Air Force Base, Texas. This was a priority progam and everyone assigned felt a real sense of' urgency. That it was successful was due in part to Ray's outstanding abilities and leadership. From Texas, Ray attended C&GSC at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, and upon graduation was assigned to the Battle Monuments Commission in Paris.

 Thrilled to have such a good assignment in such an exotic location, Ray, as he always did, worked long and hard to do a perfect job. Just a few short weeks after arriving in France, Ray worked late one evening. On the way home, at the intersection of the circle around the Arc de Triomphe and Avenue Foch, a young Frenchman ran a red light and broadsided Ray's car. Ray was killed instantly while the Frenchman walked away uninjured. A classmate, Bud Devens, and his wife Mary were called by the MP's and asked to deliver the tragic news to Doris and their young son, Ray Ill. Bud recalls that it was one of the toughest missions they have ever undertaken,

 That terribly tragic accident that night in Paris cost the Army a fine, brilliant young officer with a great future ahead of him. It cost his wife a loving husband and his son a caring father. The loss to his friends and classmates can best he described by the words of' one of his friends, who said. "I can only say that Ray was himself extraordinary because everyone he came in touch with was better for the experience. I always took Ray for granted as epitomizing everything that was good." Ray is remembered as truly a fine person, in every way. He took very seriously the ideals and traditions of West Point. Honesty, integrity, and dedication to his family, were the cornerstones of his life.

 Ray and Doris loved Army life. Ray viewed each assignment as a new and different challenge in his career, one in which he would do his utmost to excel and enjoy. Early in his career, as a first lieutenant, he and Doris were stationed at Fort Belvoir, Virginia. In the evenings, they would walk around the post and admire the beautiful two-story brick colonial homes reserved for colonels. They talked about how great it would be to return one day in the future wearing eagles to live in one of' those homes. Unfortunately this dream was not to be.

 Ray Moore Wagoner, Jr. joined the Long Gray Line early in his life and career. Those of us who are left behind, his wife and son, his classmates and friends, remember him as a loving and dedicated family man arid a true son of West Point. We are proud to say "Ray, Well Done, Be Thou At Peace!"

Personal Eulogy