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RAY DOWNS ‘50 RAY DOWNS ‘50

Remembering
Ray through
memories and
photographs

Ray
Downs ‘50
Having worked and socialized with Ray while teaching at ASIJ in 1972-73, I can
easily say that I have never met a finer man. He and Vicky more or less adopted
my wife and me along with our three children. We spent a couple of wonderful
summers with them in Nojiri where we sailed, played tennis, and traveled with Ray.
Because of him and Vicky our family had the best possible experience in Japan.
We will never forget him and his unswerving friendship and generosity. All the
words used to describe an exceptional man fit Ray perfectly: compassion, warmth,
honesty, humor, tolerance, grace, loyalty, intelligence, competence and empathy to
mention just a few. The memory of being his friend will remain with us always.
Mary Jane and Richard Hage

Mr. Downs’ lifetime association

with ASIJ as a student and later
as a teacher and headmaster
is so special and his desire to
have classes related to Japanese
culture that began in ‘61 seemed
to flourish over the decades; the
Kansai trip that November of ‘61
to Kamakura, Nara, Kyoto, Nagoya
and Osaka with the historical and
cultural sites with castles and
temples and traditional ryokan This is difficult for me to write. I keep seeing
made that Thanksgiving get all of my old friends passing away and now,
together with Japanese cuisine a Ray. We came to ASIJ in the fall of 1959, and
field trip to remember. Mr Downs’ from our first faculty meeting, I knew that Ray
goal of having ASIJers know and was a very special person. He had the school’s
appreciate more of Japan is a wide interest at heart and he had the sincerity,
lasting and ongoing tribute to an intelligence, and determination to bring out
educator who really cared about the best in the school. I can think of no other
cultural affairs. person who did more for ASIJ than Ray. Ray
will be truly missed by all of us.
James McGrane ‘63
Don Berger (Former Faculty)

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RAY DOWNS ‘50 RAY DOWNS ‘50

At the end of 1980, the admin team lead by
Headmaster Ray Downs decided that ALL
faculty and staff should be a coach or club/
activity advisor. Ray chose to be my high school
boys assistant. He had played at Oberlin, I
think, and was very supportive of me as the
head coach. Our other assistant was business
manager Stu Cole, so we had all the soccer
balls we needed and the field was always lined
perfectly by the staff, not by me!
John O’Leary (Faculty)
Ray was a kind and thoughtful man. He steered the school through the
70s and 80s with gentle leadership. He truly cared about each one of us, as
teachers, as colleagues, as friends. He cared about how you felt and how he
could help you, even if it was just to give you his full attention and listening
ear. By example, he was a wonderful father and husband; a family man. And
the school was also his family, as a student, a teacher and finally, Headmaster.
He was man of action when needed, but a man of integrity and kindness first
and foremost. Thank you, Ray, for being there for all of us. We will miss you.
Karen Seevers (Faculty)
As I watched the preview of this
year’s spring musical in the Ricketson
Theater earlier today – it looks
like it will be another entertaining
performance — I couldn’t help
feeling Ray’s presence and “hearing”
his amazing laugh in the RT. Over
the many years I overlapped with
Ray on the Chofu campus, I had the
wonderful fortune of sitting within
a row or two of him at a musical
performance many times – first as a
student, and then as a fellow faculty
member. If I ended up being in the
RT when he and Vicky were in the
audience, I tried to sit near them if
at all possible. Through his infectious
laughter and enthusiastic applause
(and Vicky was no less responsive!),
Ray made the audience experience for
those around him twice as enjoyable.
In so many ways, this was the
same way he tried to live his life
and have a positive impact on those
around him. He was a servant teacher,
mentor and leader who intuitively
tried to bring out the best in others.
From the first foggy day that
Besides my parents, I cannot think of
Ray, then a teenager, met our
any one person who was a greater
role model for me. Ray embodied boatload of “J-3s” at the dock in
the very best of what ASIJ tried (and Yokohama, ushered us through
still tries to) instill in students and in customs, then drove us through
the community as a whole. Just to the maze of traffic to his warm
name a few: insatiable curiosity and welcoming home: through
love of learning, genuine compassion the days, years later, when he
for others, impeccable integrity, came down to help us start the
a knowledge of and fondness for Nagoya International School,
Japan… the list could go on and on. and through the happy days
But let’s not get too serious here.
sailing together on Lake Nojiri,
Above all, it was his love of life and
Ray was always like a ray of
laughter — even when he shanked
sunshine brightening our lives.
a golf ball into the woods of Nojiri
The warmth of these memories
or when he poked fun at himself
about one thing or another — that will live on in our hearts forever.
made him so endearing and loved by And what could be a better way
us all. We miss you greatly, Ray. But to have ‘eternal life’? Here’s to
you will never be forgotten. We recall our Ray of shining sunshine.
with fondness and celebrate all the Peyton Palmore
wonderful memories. (Alumni Parent)
Tim Olson ‘73

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RAY DOWNS ‘50
Ray was my Tokyo American
School classmate ’50. He was a
Big Man on Campus even then.
An all-around athlete (three-year
letter man in baseball, basketball,
and football), three-year member
of the National Honor Society,
he was president of the Student
Council senior year. Picked as
“Most Likely to Succeed” and
that’s exactly how it worked
out. He came back to teach and
then took charge of our school in
1977 and held that position for
many years. During his tenure,
the school was established in a
stellar new venue and became
internationally recognized for its
excellence in education. I had the
good fortune to meet up with
Ray around 1978 at the Japanese
Embassy in Washington. We
were able to kick the gong
around for a few minutes and
I was pleased to admit that it
was the first time ever that I had
spoken to the headmaster when
I wasn’t in trouble! I am grieved
to bid farewell to our honored
friend and will miss his cheerful
smile and winning personality.
Sayonara.
Gene Fox ‘50
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I had the honor of attending Ray
Downs’ memorial yesterday. It was a
beautiful celebration of a great man’s
life. I’ve known the Downs family my
entire life. My mother knew Ray in
Kyoto in the mid 30’s. She remembers
riding their bikes through the gardens
of Doshisha. I went to yochien with
Constie. I remember stopping by their
house in Tokyo on our way to Jindaiji
for handmade noodles. After my
parents retired from ICU in 1987, they
moved to California, giving up our
Ray was a man of integrity and a man for whom ASIJ was a very main part of his life. Tokyo house and selling our Takayama
He always emphasized the Japan in ASIJ, the family aspect of ASIJ, he loved discussing cottage to another missionary family.
and celebrating the history of ASIJ. Whether one agreed or not with all of his decisions, I have no childhood home to return
one certainly had to admit the decisions were made for what he saw as the best to. As I listened to the words of love,
interests of ASIJ--and never about what is best for Ray Downs. I can remember that admiration and all the memories, I
when Bill Ricketson retired many people encouraged Ray to apply and the selection looked around the room and realized
committee took very little time in recognizing that the best applicant was already in what a supportive connection we all
our midst. But one of the stipulations that Ray had was that they would continue to have with Japan and ASIJ. Thank you
live in their own house, rather than moving to the ASIJ headmaster house. So that Ray for reminding me how powerful
house was rented out. Ray loved Nojiri, sailing, birding and tennis. He loved to chat, it is to have life-long friends.
had a great sense of humor and a great laugh. Ron Dirkse (Former Faculty) Jessica Linde Price ‘81
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RAY DOWNS ‘50
Under Ray’s tutelage in the Social
Studies Department, John Tanner,
myself, Dick Gallagher and Mary
Harrison were continually playing
practical jokes on one another or
John Sulllivan and it was always
wonderful to see the joy Ray
had in seeing or hearing about
these dalliances. His laughter
was infectious and though
these shenanigans were at times
disruptive Ray never made any
attempt to put a stop to them but,
in many ways, rather encouraged
them. It made for a very happy,
joyous group of teachers who really
enjoyed each other’s company.
However, his curiosity, intellect
and conscientious leadership also
encouraged us to better ourselves as
teachers and create an atmosphere
where learning flourished.
Ray was a first class guy! A man
with a fine, curious, intellect and
great sense of humor combined
with a sensitivity and kindness
unequalled. I’ve always loved the
phrase, “When they made him,
they threw away the key!” And
this applied in Ray’s case because
they could never make another as
perfect as he was!
Gary Fish (Former Faculty)
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Like all of us, I feel fortunate to

have known Ray Downs. I was
ASIJ Memorial
a student of his in high school,
but long before I entered his
May 2, 2009
classroom I had known him
through my parents (they were
in a book group with the Downs
for years) and Vicky who most of
us know as the greatest librarian
to walk this earth. I think I speak
for a whole generation of ASIJ
kids who can trace their love of
reading and curiosity about the
world to sitting cross-legged
on the floor in rapt attention to
her description of this week’s
selected books.
By the time I attended my
first India and East Asia class, I
thought I was knowledgeable
about many things Asian, having
grown up there. Well… within
minutes I realized I had much to
learn, and Ray was such a great
teacher. His standards were
always high, but he was always
so understanding and supportive.
It was my great privilege to have
known him.
Dave Worth ‘74

1. Eric ‘84, Vicky and Constie ‘81 Downs. 2. Dave Fuji ‘83 and Leslie Okada Birkland ‘66. 3. Former faculty members
Hiroko O’Leary and Chikako Hisa . 4. Stella Chen, Steve Mita, Chef Watanabe, Bill Shang ‘75, Shang Yasuda ‘14 and
former faculty Ki Nimori. 5. Current faculty members John Seevers, Gene Witt, Roger Onions and John O’Leary. 6.
Current faculty member Tim Olson ‘73 and Alan Gleason ‘69.

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