Ralph Gomez Jr.

Ralph will best be remembered as the founder/artistic director of the Inner City Ensemble, an arts education organization based in Paterson, New Jersey from 1973 through 1987. [To read Ralph's obituary in the New York Times go to: http://www.nytimes.com/1990/12/13/obituaries/ralph-gomez-40-led-young-dancers.html?pagewanted=1] [To visit the Facebook page for the Inner City Ensemble, go to: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=45271602903&ref=ts] Ralph received his B.A. degree in Theatre Arts from William Paterson College and an M.A. degree in Educational Theatre from New York University in May, 1980. He studied classical dramatic literature and creative dramatics with Dr. Judith Gleason and Nellie McCaslin at NYU, and acting and theatre games with Omar Shapli. Ralph conducted creative dramatics and theatre games classes in numerous school systems and agencies in the New York and New Jersey areas, including a residency in Asbury Park as an adjunct instructor in acting at William Paterson College and as an artist-in-residence at the Artists/Teachers Institute sponsored by the New Jersey State Council on the Arts. Ralph also served for a year as a member of the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, and was the recipient of numerous recognition and achievement awards from a wide range of organizations. Through his work as director of the Inner City Ensemble, an organization he founded in 1973, Ralph was recognized as a major innovator in the use of educational theatre with inner-city teenagers. The program participants performed frequently in the New York/New Jersey area in prestigious venues such as the Lincoln Center Outdoors festival and Riverside Church. Many students continued to professional careers as dancers, actors, and choreographers. In 1986, Ralph received a Master of Social Work degree from Rutgers University. By 1987, The Inner City Ensemble - unable to raise enough money to continue its operations at the standards that it had set - made the painful decision to disband rather than scale back the program. Ralph moved on to work as a program director at The Hub, a community-based education and youth support organization operated by Planned Parenthood in New York's South Bronx neighborhood. There he continued working with underprivileged youth, in particular on a project called Graffiti In Control, a program he first started in Paterson under the umbrella of the Inner City Ensemble. He also directed a community outreach HIV prevention and health program for The Hub that operated a mobile health clinic targeting homeless teenagers in the South Bronx. Poor health forced Ralph to leave The Hub in 1989. From its modest beginnings in Sf. John 's Youth Center, the Inner City Ensemble's first, fiftieth, and three hundred and fiftieth performances shared one thing in common: a vibrant, passionate energy. In its fourteen year history the Ensemble became one of the chief creative forces in the educational arts community and thrilled audiences from Lincoln Center to San Juan. What began as a teaching job for Ralph Gomez, sponsored by the Diocese of Paterson, soon became an experiment in utilizing innovative approaches to teaching theatre. A group of twelve students, some of whom had behaviorial and learning problems in their schools, were selected to participate. Within months educators and parents noticed changes in the young people's attitudes and the philosophy of the program was born. According to Ralph, "I wanted to offer teenagers an alternative to the city streets, a way to channel their frustrations and anxieties and discover their potential for creative growth - to develop skills for professional work in whatever field they choose, and to use dance and theatre to improve the quality of their lives. " Through theatre games and improvisations students explored and developed their "instrument, " gaining insight into their emotional, physical, and intellectual lives. An integral part of this process included students writing their thoughts in personal diaries. Following the Youth Center's closing, the troupe became sponsored by the Learning Theatre and a year later was adopted by the Great Falls Development Corporation. The GFDC provided the Ensemble with its own studio, the S.U.M. Field House, and this gave the company the credibility to receive CETA funding. While at the Field House, choreographer Raphet Rosado joined the Ensemble, one year as a volunteer and two years on the staff. The CETA funding not only allowed Ralph and Raphet to have livable salaries, but also enabled Ralph to increase the artistic and administrative staff. Moving from its first home to the Gavins Building, the Inner City Ensemble was able to mount and tour fully produced concerts and soon became known statewide. 1977 brought another move - this time to the YMCA. Imminent signs of drastic federal funding cuts prompted Ralph to begin exploring new options for the Ensemble and in the summer of 1978 a Board of Directors, led by president Dr. Will B. Grant Jr., was formed. The Board began to prepare the company for major fundraising. As a result of a fire at the YMCA the Ensemble was temporarily housed at the Boy's Club and before moving to its final headquarters at 128 Broadway. In September 1980 the Inner City Ensemble became incorporated and received a non-profit tax-exempt status which enabled it to approach the private sector for funds. Almost simultaneously CETA funds, which made up 75% of the Ensemble's annual budget, were cut. New funding sources including the Aaron and Rachel Meyer Memorial Foundation and the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, as well as increased funding from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts, revitalized the company. On the tenth anniversary of the founding of the ICE, Ralph stated, "In November, 1973, I founded the Inner City Ensemble, envisioning an opportunity to enhance the creative, intellectual, and spiritual life of teenagers through the arts. From that point in time I have had the privilege of watching the Ensemble's growth as one would view the development of a child. In the beginning (infancy), a risk was taken, the first growing pains felt, and many unpredictable crises followed. As time passed the company (the child) learned the importance of 'change' and 'experimentation' for the purpose of seeking an identity. Soon roots were pulled up, and independence (adolescence) became a reality. Today, a decade later, the program (young adult) has matured and strengthened. I am proud of the growth that has taken place. Although there have been numerous transformations and adjustments, the original objective of the program still prevails: offering teenagers options for creative and personal growth. This tenth year anniversary celebration is a deeply moving experience as it provides me with a mirror image of the past and illuminates the future. I am reminded of the first twelve students who sat with me at St. John's Learning Center - the original Inner City Ensemble - and of the students who have given life to the dream ever since. I wish to express my appreciation to Paterson and the surrounding communities for understanding the 'work' and supporting its goals. We can all share a sense of accomplishment and triumph! I look forward to this next decade knowing that your continued involvement will allow us to realize another ten years of success." Unfortunately, this was not to be. Increasing internal tensions between and among Ralph and the Board of the Ensemble, stemming primarily from financial pressures and Ralph's increasing interest in broadening the Ensemble's mission to embrace activities beyond arts performance and toward more community-sponsored projects, led to the folding of the company in 1987. Ralph moved on to become a program director at The Hub, a community-based education and youth support organization in the South Bronx of New York City. There he was able to continue the innovative programs and community outreach he had started at the Inner City Ensemble. One program of note was the Graffiti In Control project, the goal of which was to reduce the defacing of public and private property by engaging graffiti 'taggers' in constructive artistic activity. The graffiti artists received supplies and the right to work in the center's studio in return for signing a pledge to stop 'tagging' and to work to reduce the developing violence among rival graffiti gangs. At the end of each cycle of the program, a public art exhibition and sale was held to sell the participants' work. Worsening health brought on by an immune system weakened by HIV - a diagnoses Ralph received in 1984 - forced Ralph to leave The Hub in 1989. He continued to travel - a life-long passion - and to meet with and support his former Ensemble students, many of whom had gone on to establish performing and teaching careers of their own. Ralph died from the effects of an inoperable brain tumor on December 7, 1990. He left behind his mother, Madeleine; his brother, Richard; and his partner of 5 years, Jim Brega. Typical of his passion and determination, Ralph had been vacationing in Puerto Rico only a week before his death. [To view the panels of the AIDS Memorial Quilt that were created to honor Ralph, go to: http://www.aidsquilt.org/ and search for panels 01896 and 01897. The quilt is sponsored by The NAMES Project Foundation.] The eulogy delivered at his funeral by his friend of long standing, Judith Pine Bobé, eloquently describes Ralph's spirit and philosophy and the feelings of those whose life he touched: "During the past several sad days I've spoken to a great number of Ralph's friends, students, colleagues, acquaintances -- people he knew professionally or socially. The thoughts, sentiments, and feelings about Ralph speak of a man who left his mark on the lives of people of all ages and in all places in life. So many young people, especially, said, 'If it weren't for Ralph….' 'Ralph saved my life.' 'Ralph changed my life.' 'Ralph was my inspiration.' Someone said, 'Ralph was captured by the drama of life.' Someone else said, 'Ralph captured life.' Another spoke of his fire within. All knew, without a doubt, that Ralph Gomez was remarkable and exquisitely special. I remember clearly the first time I met Ralph. It was about 10 years ago and I, a recent refugee from across the Hudson, found myself in the theatre of Passaic County Community College in Paterson, New Jersey. I was at a performance of the Inner City Ensemble, a group I had never even heard of. Before that evening was over I knew I had come upon something and someone quite extraordinary. That evening marked the beginning of a precious friendship. Over the next years we spent time working together and talking together, sharing ideas and feelings and just hanging out. And I came to know him well and admire him much. He had the instincts of the truly gifted and the imagination of a visionary and the vision of an innovator. He was a man of certain conviction -- the conviction that no one had the right to compromise the dignity or integrity of another human being. In that regard he was a special advocate for the young -- the disenfranchised minority youth he cared so much about and worked so hard for. And he stood his ground because he cared and he cared with passion. Any one of us worked with him, whether at the Inner City Ensemble or at the HUB or at Project Streetbeat knew he refused to countenance shoddiness of any sort . He demanded high standards of himself and so from the rest of us. He understood, instinctively, the art of social work. He had, at his essence, the insights and soul of an artist. This is not to say that Ralph was not, at times, insufferable, impatient, stubborn. He was, after all, human. He was thoroughly engaged by life. Throughout his illness he had an enormous resolve to live his life to the fullest. This affirmation was characteristic o his life and work. He enjoyed to the fingertips the beach, the rice and beans, the ziti, the pasteles, the music, the person, the process, the whatever. His determination was sustained by his love for Jim, who shared his life. Jim, I often told Ralph, Was the best thing that ever happened to him. Jim… who loved, cared for and supported Ralph in the good times and the dark times… Jim, who made certain every day of Ralph’s life was lived in dignity. Ralph's incredible courage gave strength to those of us who loved and admired him. We are, each of us whose lives he has touched, charged to carry on his deep abiding belief and commitment to the decency and sanctity of the human spirit. This is his legacy to us – those of us who worked with him, those of us who played with him, who gave him friendship and were rewarded with the return of his, and those in whose family he grew up. We are, all of us, connected inextricably to each other because each of us was connected to this special human being. Not long ago, at a time when he was pretty debilitated, Ralph asked me to write a letter which he dictated. It was a letter to one of his “kids�. And it was a letter typical of Ralph. It was honest and caring and nurturing and respectful. One of the last thoughts he ended with was "Support each other and share the love.� And he signed it, “Love, Ralph.� And he signed it himself… “Love, Ralph.� And that's what's in this space today. Love from Ralph. Ralph Waldo Emerson must have known there would be a Ralph Gomez when he wrote: “To laugh often and love much; to gain the respect of intelligent persons and the affection of children; …to know that even one life has breathed easier because you have lived - this is to have succeeded.� We send you off to the heavens today, dear Ralph, and celebrate your life and your successes." For information about this webpage or to contribute to this memorial to Ralph Gomez Jr., please contact jrbrega@gmail.com