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Hurlon Ray, activist for environment, dies at 87 |
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Tuesday, 29 July 2008 |
Was instrumental in helping areas gain water source
A Lonsdale man who dedicated his life to environmental issues locally, statewide and nationally has died at the age of 87.
Hurlon Ray, who received numerous awards for his efforts to bring clean drinking water to rural areas of Saline County, died Friday.
He was retired from the federal Environmental Protection Agency. During his employment there, he helped draft the first federal Clean Water Act in the 1960s.
“I was so sad to hear about his death,” state Sen. Shane Broadway, D-Bryant, said Friday. “The thing about Hurlon is that there were so many things you could say about him ... it’s hard to single out one thing.
“I think he was a true picture of someone who loved his community and really spent his life giving back to his country and to his community,” Broadway said. “So many people were helped because of his advocacy.
“Because of the improvements he helped bring about along Highway 5 and the Owensville Paron water system work he did for years, he’s left a legacy that we’d all like to leave — that our life and the work of our life made someone else’s life a little bit better ...”
Each year when Earth Day observances were held locally — particularly the one at Harmony Grove School District — Mr. Ray commended the efforts of the young people. He encouraged their efforts, noting that he participated in the first-ever Earth Day celebration in Portland, Ore., in 1970.
Frequently speaking of “growing up on the (Saline River),” in 1980 he returned to his boyhood home with his wife, the late TyJuana Ray, after his retirement from the EPA.
Though retired, he was not idle, becoming heavily involved in environmental campaigns in this area.
At 82, he took on what he called the “most important fight of his life” — cleaning up the Middle Fork of the Saline River, the Central Arkansas waterway where he and four generations of his family grew up.
In September 2004, he received a lifetime achievement award from the Arkansas Watershed Advisory Group, which recognized his lifetime accomplishments and dedication to the protection and restoration “of our state and nation’s water land.”
At the time he received the honor, Ray, with characteristic humility, said he had been aware of his nomination, but never expected to receive the honor.
The award was presented at the organization’s 2004 Watershed “Clean Water Stronger Communities” Conference in Little Rock.
Mr. Ray was affiliated with the Concerned Citizens for a Safe Middle Fork and the Alliance for an Improved Middle Fork. The Alliance co-founder and chairwoman Cindy Pride, who prepared the text submitted to the nomination committee, had this to say about Mr. Ray at the time:
“This great man ... has had an environmental impact on my life. He has generated in me the desire and the confidence to work toward improving the world around me.
Pride described Mr. Ray as “Mother Nature’s volunteer.”
She said: “His volunteer efforts over the past 10 years ... all of the phone calls and visits to neighbors urging them to become involved in protecting the Middle Fork watershed ... all of the state and federal agency representatives that he has made aware of Middle Fork issues and concerns ... all of the funds those important contacts have generated for Middle Fork environmental studies ... all of the work that Hurlon has done for the river he loves so much has become the groundwork for the newly created AWAG watershed group (AIM).”
In keeping with his love of the land, Mr. Ray’s efforts to improve Arkansas 5 resulted in the area obtaining a scenic overlook on a particular stretch of the highway. After the improvements were completed, the overlook was named in honor of him and his wife.
He was instrumental in helping obtain funding for the Paron-Owensville Water Authority and was honored in a special ceremony at the Paron School where he received a plaque presented by Sen. Blanche Lincoln, D-Ark.
Jerry Virden, community project director of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, said: “Memories of special people such as Hurlon are indeed treasures. He made a difference in many lives.”
Jamie Mullins of the Paron-Owensville Water Authority noted Mr. Ray’s efforts to obtain the funding possible for the Paron-Owensville water system. “Because of his tireless efforts to raise awareness of the need for safe, reliable water, he was honored as the first customer to get water when service was available. He was a valuable friend and ally.”
Mr. Ray’s concerns also embraced homeless animals. He rescued dogs abandoned on Arkansas 5 and worked tirelessly to rehabilitate them, a Humane Society of Saline County member said.
Education was important to Mr. Ray, who attended Saline and Garland county public schools, Arkansas Tech University, University of Arkansas at Fayetteville, Utah State University, Yale University, USDA Graduate School in Washington, D.C., and the Federal Executive Institute in Charlottesville, Va.
He was appointed as a delegate to the White House Conference on Aging by Gov. Jim Guy Tucker in 1995; served as a member of Metroplan-Central Arkansas Regional Transportation Study; was legislative chairman of the Arkansas State Federation of National Association of Retired Federal Employees; was the 1998 chairman of the Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission; served on the Board of Directors of Arkansas Wildlife Federation and the Arkansas Public Policy Panel.
He was a 10-year member of Saline County Planning Commission and served on the Saline County Public Facilities Board.
A Marine Corps veteran, he served in the South Pacific during World War II.
Funeral for Mr. Ray is scheduled for 10 a.m. Monday at Owensville Baptist Church, where he was a member. Burial will follow in Owensville Cemetery.
Visitation at Ashby Funeral Home is scheduled from 6 to 8 p.m. Sunday. Obituary information is on page 2.
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