Former first lady of Iowa, Billie Lee Ray, died Feb. 18 at the age of 97, leaving behind a lasting legacy. She is survived by her three daughters, eight grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
Ray, the wife of late Iowa Governor Robert D. Ray, graduated from Roosevelt High School in 1946 before attending Drake University, where she obtained her B.S. in Education. Ray went on to teach in the Des Moines Public Schools before becoming first lady of Iowa in 1969, a title which she held until 1983.
“From the day of her Drake graduation until she passed, she remained a teacher at heart,” said Drake President Marty Martin in an email to the Times-Delphic. “Always using her knowledge and talents to help others be their best selves for themself, their families and those they have the privilege of serving.”
In 1997, Ray and her husband founded the Robert D. and Billie Ray Center, located at Drake. The Ray Center offers families, schools, workplaces and other organizations free, professional resources in accordance with the Six Pillars of Character: trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, fairness, caring and good citizenship.
CHARACTER COUNTS! is the Ray Center’s most well-known initiative. What started with just one classroom in 1997 has since become a global organization that provides resources, training, assessment and ongoing support to educators worldwide. Today, CHARACTER COUNTS! serves around 9 million youth worldwide, according to Raecker.
Raecker said that Ray was also influential in the restoration of the Governor’s house, Terrace Hill, after it was donated in 1971. She managed to raise money from Democratic and Republican women’s groups in all 99 counties.
Ray was also actively involved with the Iowa Friendship Force, the Blank Park Zoo Foundation, the Cedar Rapids Symphony Orchestra, the historic Brucemore in Cedar Rapids, the American Red Cross, Easterseals, United Way, Women in Business, Iowa Save Your Vision and the Des Moines Civic Center.
“She was a woman of grace, leadership, and kindness,” Raecker said. “She cared deeply about people. And that came through in every interaction she had … It’s not that she was revered because she was the wife of the governor of the state of Iowa. She was revered because of who she was in and of herself.”
Ray was the recipient of both the Drake University Distinguished Alumni Award and the Drake University National Alumni Centennial Award for Service. She was also named one of the twelve initial Women of Influence by the Des Moines Business Record in 2000, an award dedicated to Iowa women who used their success to better the community.
In 2020, Ray received the Robert D. and Billie Ray Pillar of Character Award, the organization’s highest honor.
Upon Ray’s death, Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds ordered all flags to be lowered to half-staff on Thursday, Feb. 26.
“I hope Drake University students, over time and moving forward, can look to Mrs. Ray as an exemplar and a model of what it means to take your Drake University education to change the world,” Raecker said. “I really am hopeful that, down the road, Mrs. Ray is not another name on a promenade or a building at Drake [where] people say, ‘Well, who is that?’ I am hopeful that we can perpetuate Governor and Mrs. Ray’s legacy enough for people to know that these are Drake University graduates who cared deeply about making the world a better place to live.”
