Remarks by Senator Chuck Grassley of Iowa
Tribute to Governor Robert D. Ray
Thursday, July 19, 2018
M/M President, I rise today 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 a few ways how 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 public life and the private sector. After graduating from high school in 1946, Bob enlisted in the U.S. Army to serve his country in uniform. He returned from service and earned undergraduate and law degrees from Drake University. 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, CEO, and board member to a number of nonprofits and corporations. Reading such an outstanding resume, one might come to the conclusion that this guy must have an outsized ego to match.
M/M President, to that I can personally affirm, Bob was a humble leader driven by a servant’s heart. He brought honesty, dignity and integrity to the campaign trail and to state government.
His policy achievements as our 38th governor made government work better for the people. He created the Department of Transportation and modernized the National Guard. He strengthened rock-solid Iowa values in education, conservation, good government and fiscal stewardship. It was Governor Ray who signed Iowa’s bottle bill into law to keep our roadways clean and our state looking beautiful.
Arguably, the lasting measure of his governorship is defined by his moral leadership after the fall of Saigon in 1975. It transcended the riverbanks of America’s heartland to reach thousands of refugees across the world 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 resettle in Iowa. In 1978, another wave of Southeast Asians 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. 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 by launching the Iowa SHARES program. That stands for Iowa Sends Help to Aid Refugees and End Starvation. The program raised more than $600,000 in less than one month 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.
In 2005, Governor Ray received Iowa’s highest civilian honor, the Iowa 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, husband, dad and grandpa. Years after Governor Ray left Terrace Hill, he launched The Robert D. Ray and Billie Ray Center at Drake University. Its mission is dedicated to improving civility and developing ethical leaders at home and throughout the world. For those who know the story of Bob Ray, his “Ray of Light” will inspire generations of leaders for years to come.
M/M President, Barbara and I join our fellow Iowans to extend 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 gifts so generously to make Iowa an even better place to grow for generations to come.
I would like to insert into The Record three eulogies that highlight Governor Ray’s life as a governor, political humanitarian, and a man with strong family values. These eulogies were presented by:
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