RAY ROSENBLUM

ROSENBLUM RAY
On Tuesday, February 27, 2018. Ray was born in Butler, Pennsylvania, the second and youngest son of David Rosenblum and Sarah "Georgia" Borisky Rosenblum, pioneer broadcasters who founded Butler radio station WISR, named for Ray's grandfather, Isaac Samuel Rosenblum. Ray was educated in Pittsburgh at Shadyside Academy, for whom he was an enthusiastic fundraiser, and at Princeton University. A lifelong broadcaster, Ray worked at WISR at an early age and continued his career founding and managing radio stations in Ohio and Western Pennsylvania. Over his career, he was involved in ownership and management of ten different radio stations. In 1962, Ray married novelist and educator, Helen Faye Davis of Pittsburgh. In the late 1960s Ray, Helen Faye, and their three young sons moved to Marietta, Ohio, where they lived for 15 years. Ray was the owner and manager of radio station WMOA. He was an innovative and award winning broadcaster who earned recognition for emphasizing local news programming, including call in talk shows and special programs such as election return coverage. He was an elected national board member CBS Radio Affiliates Organization. In community service, he served as member of Rotary International, Vice President of the Marietta Chamber of Commerce, Chairman of the Marietta Red Cross, and Board Member of Temple B'Nai Israel in Parkersburg, West Virginia. He was an entrepreneur in community service of the arts, bringing performers and artistic organizations to Marietta through the Community Concert Association, culminating in his Chairmanship of the Ohio Arts Council and the Ohio Program of the Humanities. In the 1980s, he left radio station ownership and management to begin a second career in Pittsburgh as a consultant, broker, and appraiser of broadcast properties, in which capacity he sold dozens of stations and wrote appraisals for even more. In that capacity, his opinions, articles, and commentaries were published in trade publications and daily newspapers, locally and nationally. In Pittsburgh, Ray served as President of the Rodef Shalom Temple Brotherhood, through which he volunteered in charitable efforts and emceed performances. An active political enthusiast throughout his life, Ray interviewed a young Senator John F. Kennedy and asked a question of Ronald Reagan in a White House press conference. He is survived by his wife, Helen Faye; sons, Joshua, Steven, and Charles; daughter-in-law, Joanne Lessner; grandchildren, Julian, Phoebe, and Riley; brother, Joel; nephew, Dai; and nieces, Georgia and Jeanine. Services at RALPH SCHUGAR CHAPEL, INC., 5509 Centre Avenue, Shadyside, on Friday at 1 p.m. Visitation one hour prior to services (12 Noon - 1 p.m.). Interment PRIVATE. Contributions may be made to the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank, 1 N. Linden Street, Duquesne, PA 15110.
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