Raymond Houghton

HOUGHTON, RAYMOND W., 85, professor emeritus of Rhode Island College and Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland died at Phillip Hulitar Inpatient Hospice Center on Saturday, April 30th. He and his wife Dorothy Bradbury Houghton were married for 65 years. He is survived by his four children: Nancy Houghton Manion of Lincoln, Susan Houghton Clarke of Lincoln, David Houghton and his wife Julie of Salt Lake City, Utah and John Houghton and his wife Deborah of Lincoln. He had seven grandchildren Jason Dionne, Seth Dionne, Jenny Dionne DiMucci, Trevor Clarke, Graham Clarke, Sarah Houghton Weyer and Matthew Houghton- and eight great-grandchildren- Danielle and Austin Dionne, Liam and Sophie Dionne, Nevan and Remy DiMucci, Liza Weyer and Lily Murray. He was a member of Lime Rock Baptist Church where he was a deacon and taught the adult Sunday school class for many years. Born in Pawtucket, RI, he was the son of the late William and Elsie (Duckworth) Houghton and the brother of the late Herbert R Houghton. Ray graduated from Pawtucket West High School and after serving in the Army Air Corp entered Brown University where he earned his A.B. and A.M. degrees in English Literature and Education. He later earned his Ph.D. in curriculum and educational foundations from the University of Connecticut. Prof Houghton began his teaching career in the 1950's in Pawtucket and then Warwick. While in Warwick, he wrote and directed several original plays including a musical version of Tom Sawyer. In 1961 he joined the faculty of Rhode Island College as professor of secondary education where he taught until 1984. While there he served as Department Chair of Philosophy and Foundations of Education and as Special Assistant to the President. He also helped to establish the Upward Bound Program to aid first generation children in achieving a college education. As a response to Martin Luther King's assassination, Dr Houghton conceived and founded the Urban Education Center of Rhode Island. The Center gave opportunity to thousands of minority and disenfranchised people. It was recognized by the United States Office of Education as one of the most innovative educational ideas in the country. He was honored by Rhode Island College with a Doctor of Humanities in 2006 for his achievements, his teaching and his scholarship. From 1985 through 1999 Houghton was a lecturer at Trinity College of Dublin, Ireland. He was awarded an honorary degree from that institution in 2001. While in Dublin he founded and directed Saor Ollscoil na h'Eirann The Free University of Ireland. From 1963 to 1977 he produced, moderated and spoke about education on "Your Child In School", a weekly television program on Channel 10 WJAR-TV. In 1975, Houghton founded the International Berkeley Society in recognition of noted Irish philosopher, Bishop George Berkeley's 250th anniversary of his arrival in Newport, RI. He served as president of the society for 10 years. Houghton was the author of many books on education and philosophy including several on George Berkley. He also authored many articles and monographs. His most recent book, Lime Rock Days: Life on the Farm, 1930;'s, reflected on his life in rural Lincoln while living and working on the Phetteplace Farm in Lime Rock. In 1966, Houghton ran for RI Representative to the United States Congress. During that campaign, he canoed the Blackstone River and sailed a small sailboat from Bristol to Newport to highlight environmental concerns about RI waters. In the 1970's Houghton founded the local Environmental group R.I.L.E.D (Righteous Indignation over Lincoln's Environmental Decline) as a response to chemical contamination from local industry in local well water. The group was influential in providing town water to many Lime Rock citizens. He loved music and was a drummer with the New Jazz Three and other local bands. He used jazz in college lectures to demonstrate principals of creativity to college students. He was a member of many organizations and unions including AFSCME council 94, Phi Delta Kappa, Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development and Blackstone Valley Historical Society. Houghton was an avid sports fan. He played catcher with the Fairlawn Mules. He was an always faithful Red Sox fan. An avid golfer, he enjoyed playing anywhere, but especially in Ireland and Scotland where he had the opportunity to play St Andrews Old Course. He became a close friend of Irish pro golfer, Paddy Skerritt, two time winner of the British Senior Open. He initiated the Governor Garrahy Golf Tournament with Paddy Skerritt as guest professional. He built a nine hole course on his property where he held the annual Labor Day Paddy Skerritt Golf Tournament. Prof Houghton had a passion for Lime Rock and its rural history, In the early fifties, he started Camp Nahsu, a boys camp, which allowed Fairlawn kids an opportunity to enjoy the natural beauty of Lime Rock. He and his family lived in the Jeremiah Smith Homestead, built in the 18th century, for 58 years. In the 1980's he and his wife, Dorothy, donated much of their land to The Nature Conservatory to form The Lime Rock Preserve. Ray had a passion for his land. He was often seen on his tractor inspecting the wild flowers or cutting the golf course. He had a passion for his family. Every little achievement became a celebration. He never missed a birthday, a graduation, a concert. He had the honor of presenting his granddaughter, Sarah, with her degree when she graduated from RIC. He had a passion for education and a belief that every adult and child should have an opportunity to advance their education. He had a passion for living. He was so grateful for his doctors at Miriam Oncology and Dana Farber and their nurses and staff who worked with him for seven years. A MEMORIAL SERVCE will be held on SATURDAY, MAY 21 at 12:00P.M. at Lime Rock Baptist Church, 1075 Great Rd, Lincoln. Relatives and friends are invited. CALLING HOURS will be held on FRIDAY, MAY 20, 6:00P.M. 8:00P.M. at Lime Rock Baptist Church. In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts may be made to: Bertha Crompton Scholarship Fund, Lime Rock Baptist Church, 1075 Great Rd, Lincoln, RI 02865 or Upward Bound Alumni Scholarship Fund. Checks should be made payable to: the Rhode Island College Upward Bound Scholarship Fund and sent to: Rhode Island College Upward Bound Program 600 Mount Pleasant Avenue Providence, RI 02908-1991. Arrangements by A. A. MARIANI & SON