RAY HILLAM

Ray Cole Hillam 1928 ~ 2009 Ray Cole Hillam, age 81, passed away August 10, 2009 after a long struggle with Parkinson's disease.He was born July 25, 1928 in Carlin, Nevada, the son of James Ralph and Mabel Cole Hillam. He grew up in Yuba City, California leaving there to serve an LDS mission in Sweden and returning to earn a Bachelor's degree in Political Science at the University of Utah in 1954. He met his wife, Carolyn Sanders, at the University of Utah and they were married June 29, 1956 in the Salt Lake LDS Temple. They started their married life together in Washington, D.C. where Ray received an MA degree from George Washington University and a PhD in Political Science from American University. He served in the U.S. Army during the Korean War, spending his time in Tokyo, Japan as an intelligence analyst. In 1960 Ray joined the political science faculty at Brigham Young University where he taught for 33 years. He assisted in the establishment of the International Relations program and the David M. Kennedy Center for International Studies. He served as chairman of the Political Science Department. He was the recipient of three Fulbright Scholar Awards to Vietnam, Taiwan and Beijing, China. He helped develop the Washington Seminar Program and also the China Teachers Program. He loved his career in teaching and enjoyed going to school everyday. He was tireless in shepherding his students, taking a personal interest in their learning and progress and making himself, his home, and his family a resource to them. He was influential in the lives of many young students with his natural ability to let them know that he cared about them. He loved his wife, five daughters and one son. His hobby was building a mountain cabin and including them in every step of the way, with skiing time in between. His children also enjoyed the benefits of his career, traveling and living in many places around the world, adding to the richness of their lives with their father as a wonderful and knowledgeable tour guide. If we could say one thing about Ray it would be that he persevered, particularly through his illness. His life provided a profound lesson to all around him in the virtues of patience, sense of humor and an unwillingness to complain. He was an inspiration to all of us. He was a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints. He held many callings, including bishop, high councilor, but he enjoyed most his calling as Priest's quorum advisor working with young men at a crucial time in their lives, influencing them in a positive way. He is survived by his wife Carolyn, five daughters and one son, Jennifer Barton (Gary), Jayne Hillam (Patty), Mark Hillam (LeAnn), Anne Hillam (Jen), Karen Hillam (Bernie) and Kathryn Chamberlain (Wade). He is also survived by his brother, Howard Hillam and his sister, Noreen Wilson. He has 10 wonderful grandchildren. Funeral services will be held Saturday, August 15, 2009 at 12 noon at the Oak Hills 1st Ward, 1038 North 1200 East, Provo, Utah. Friends may call at the Oak Hills 1st Ward on Friday, August 14, 2009 from 6-8 p.m. and also on Saturday from 11 a.m. to 12 noon. Interment will be at the Provo City Cemetery following the funeral. Online condolences at www.serenicare.com