RAY F. WELLBAUM

Ray, Karen and Steve at MoMA, 2023

So sorry to hear of Ray´s passing. He was the best person I ever worked with (at Carnegie Hall). Beth Bergman Fisher

I shared many wonderful concerts with Ray as I ushered the section he sat in. We often sat next to each other an exchanged many thoughts. He was a bright, caring man and I enjoyed his presence and insights into Tanglewood and the music and the musicians.

I worked at WBZ TV. We produced The July 4th Live Pops Concert. Through that experience, I work with Ray. In our negotiations, he was always firm, fair and friendly. He was smart and funny, a pleasure to work with. I didn´t know that Ray was ill. I was sorry to learn that he had passed away. I wish his family all the best.

I was a friend of Ray´s at Walnut Hills High School in Cincinnati. There were 5-6 of us that spent every Friday night together in the last 2 years of high school playing ping pong and drinking beer. Butch, RB, Ree-gar, Ray (can´t use his nickname), Paco, and Mac fought furiously for ping pong superiority without a clear victor. On Saturday nights, we would gather our girlfriends as a group and drink more beer and raise hell. Despite all this, Ray still managed to run our major yearly school...

I met Ray when we were both volunteering in a literacy program at Boston Public Schools. Ray exhibited amazing creativity and sincerity with the children he coached and touched many students. Although we met late in life, we quickly bonded and formed a friendship. I admired how deeply he cared about his family, friends and everything he was involved in. We had great lunches discussing everything from the Red Sox and Patriots, to politics and philosophy. His demeanor was gentle but his...

I remember Ray as a kind and calm presence when he would join us on Pops tours. More than once he rode with us on the orchestra bus as we traveled to and from concerts all over this country. I always enjoyed talking with him, and always felt confident knowing he was at the helm.