A 1972 graduate of Wellston High School will be honored this year at the 122nd Annual Wellston Alumni banquet. The Wellston City Schools, in partnership with the Wellston Alumni Association, has announced the name of the recipient of the 2012 “Walls of Achievement” Award. This is the fifth year that graduates and community leaders from the Wellston School District have been honored.
Wellston City School Superintendent Karen Boch announced that this year’s honoree is Richard D. Ray. Richard is known nationally and internationally for his research and publications in geophysics. Richard graduated from Wellston High School as valedictorian. While in high school and college Richard worked at the Wellston Aerosol Plant. Later he graduated from the Ohio State University with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Physics and then earned his Masters’ Degree in Physics from the University of Maryland in 1978. After working for Litton Industries and Aero Science in Denver, Colorado and Huston, Texas, Richard was hired by NASA (the National Aeronautics and Space Administration) where he has worked since that time as a Geophysicist at the Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland.
Richard’s areas of research center on the tides of the earth, ocean and atmosphere: satellite geodesy (the measurement of the form and dimensions of the earth by means of satellite techniques); variations in earth rotation; and sea level. He is currently working with satellite altimeter data to study the internal deep tides in the ocean.
Richard’s research has been published in over sixty peer-reviewed articles and he has received several awards nationally and internationally. He was named the 2006 Bowie Lecturer by the American Geophysical Union and the 2007 Fellow by the American Meteorological Society. Richard received the 2007 Suomi Award by the American Meteorological Society, an honorary Doctorate from the University Hamburg in 2008 and was named 2009 Fellow by the American Geophysical Union.
Richard’s philanthropic interests include support for science education, public broadcasting and environmental protection.
Wellston Alumni President John Pelletier stated that the Alumni Association is pleased to be a part of this newly formed tradition and we are honored that The Walls of Achievement Award is presented at the Annual Wellston Alumni Banquet.
The 122nd Annual Wellston Alumni Banquet and catered reception will be Saturday May 26 at the Wellston Middle School. Tickets are available at Brodigan’s on Ohio Avenue in Wellston. The cost is $20.