RAY GILBERT BESING

1934 - 2021

RAY GILBERT BESING

Ray passed away peacefully in his sleep at his home in San Antonio, Texas on April 16, 2021 at the age of 86.
Born on September 14, 1934 in Roswell, New Mexico. Ray and his brother David were raised by a single mother, Maxine Jordan Besing. Maxine was a hard-working and spirited young lady. After some very difficult years in Roswell and living above a burnt-out cafe, the family moved to Lufkin, Texas, and it was there that Ray was introduced to Father Savoy and the Episcopal Church. Maxine, Father Savoy, and the church would all play incredibly important and formative roles in Ray's life.
Ray enrolled in Rice University to study nuclear physics, but ultimately transferred to Ripon College in Wisconsin where he became a philosophy major under the tutelage of Dr. Bill Tyree, who became a major source of motivation and inspiration. While at Ripon, Ray excelled academically, was a soloist in the Concert Choir, President of the Student Body, and Chairman of the Student Court. He also joked that he was the "12th man" on the tennis team, and if they added a player, he would automatically become the 13th ranked player on the team.
In 1957, Ray moved to Washington, DC and studied international law at Georgetown University before accepting a scholarship at SMU law school in Dallas, Texas, where he discovered and embraced his love for the law. While at SMU, he became Managing Editor of the Southwestern Law Journal and a National Moot Court Champion.
Upon graduation, Ray practiced civil litigation law with Geary, Brice & Lewis in Dallas from 1960-1974, before forming his own law firm from 1974-2000. Ray was recognized as a very bright, and highly skilled trial lawyer. Ray represented Carter Electronics in the landmark FCC and antitrust cases of Carter Electronics v. AT&T, which broke the telecommunications equipment monopoly held by AT&T and Bell Telephone System. Upon retiring from the practice of law, he accepted a position to teach the Master's course in comparative telecommunications law at the Faculty of Laws, University College London.
Ray lived life to the fullest, filling his time outside of his law practice with the pursuit of the things he found most fulfilling. Travel, opera, and charity work, were among his favorite pursuits. Ray was a die-hard Dallas Cowboys fan and even with free agency he knew the names of most players on both sides of the ball and would yell at the TV as if every game was a playoff game. He was fortunate to travel across the world but, by far, his favorite destination was Italy. He began traveling there in the 1970's, often for weeks at a time, and was never afraid to strike up conversations resulting in lifelong friends like Enzo Canciello and his wife Tina of Santa Marinella, Italy.
He spent his retired years in Santa Fe, New Mexico. He loved Santa Fe for its picturesque mountains and slow-paced way of life. He would often sit outside with his beloved Labrador retrievers gazing at the beauty of the New Mexico sunsets.
Ray expected much from those around him but gave much in return. He was the embodiment of "work hard and play hard" and always championed the cause of those in greatest need. He was generous to a fault and often said, "Boys, they damn sure need it more than we do." Borrowing one of his famous lines… "Dad, you were a gentleman and a scholar and there are few of us left!" He will be greatly missed and is survived by his 4 sons, Chris, Gil, Andy, and Paul; his eight grandchildren, JC, Sarah, Brent, Allie, Barrett, Blakely, Ashley, and Lindsay; and his great-grandchild, Arthur Champion, son of Allie and Glenn Champion.
A memorial service will be held at The Church of the Holy Faith, 311 East Palace Avenue, Santa Fe, NM on Monday, May 10 at 1:30 p.m. with a reception to follow at La Posada, 330 East Palace Avenue, Santa Fe, NM.