December 2025 – Ray Alvarez ’62
Ray Alvarez ’62 is the December Alumni Highlight and was the inaugural recipient of the Pillar of Shepherd award!
Ray chose Shepherd for its affordability, the chance to play football, and the strong reputation of Professor Charles Printz in placing business students with local employers. Just days into his first season, Ray learned that his mother had terminal cancer. He turned in his football gear, gave up his apartment, and moved back to Charles Town to help support his family. While working nights as a racetrack watchman, he continued at Shepherd as a commuter.
By his sophomore year, mounting family expenses forced Ray to consider leaving school altogether. Rather than simply withdrawing, he met with his advisor, Professor Printz, to explain his situation. That conversation changed everything: with Printz’s help, Ray secured financial aid through a $100 Alumni Scholarship, allowing him to stay at Shepherd. Working multiple jobs each semester, Ray graduated in 1962 as an honor student with a degree in business administration, concentrating in accounting. He was also president of his freshman class, served in the Student Senate, and was a founding member of the Epsilon Kappa chapter of Delta Sigma Pi business fraternity.
Following graduation, Ray married his college sweetheart, Mary, and embarked on a forty-year career with Honeywell. Rising through the ranks to become Vice President and Group Executive of the Sensing and Control business unit, he led a billion-dollar global division operating in 47 countries and all 50 states. His leadership transformed the organization into a world-class, customer-driven enterprise, earning multiple awards for excellence. His career accomplishments have been profiled in leading business publications, several of which can be found in the Shepherd University library.
Upon retiring to Shepherdstown, Ray became one of the University’s most dedicated alumni leaders. He lectured in classrooms, mentored business students, and worked tirelessly to raise funds for scholarships, faculty excellence, and campus priorities. He served on the Shepherd University Foundation Board of Directors from 2000 to 2023, including six years as president, and played a central role in the University’s Create Campaign, which raised more than $26 million dollars. Ray was also the founding president of the Scarborough Society, which continues to raise much-needed funds for the library. In 2020, he helped lead the Business 2020 campaign securing the initial funding to establish the School of Business.
Ray served on the Shepherd University Board of Governors from 2016 to 2020 and, together with Mary, created four endowed funds through the Shepherd University Foundation to support students and faculty. His service and philanthropy have been recognized through induction into Phi Kappa Phi, an honorary doctorate in humanities from Shepherd, the Distinguished Fundraising Volunteer Award from the Association of Fundraising Professionals, and recognition as the 2015 Individual Philanthropist of the Year.
In 2023, Ray made the difficult decision to step back from his volunteer service due to health reasons. Still, his legacy of generosity, leadership, and unwavering love for Shepherd University continues to inspire.
Ray Alvarez has built a life and career defined by resilience, leadership, and a deep devotion to Shepherd University and we are grateful to having him among our outstanding alumni ranks! Shepherd Students Succeed!
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Alumni Highlights Archive
FORMERLY KNOWN AS RAMS ACROSS AMERICA, a social media series featuring a new region of the United States each semester and highlighting alumni in each state. This program was replaced by ALUMNI HIGHLIGHTS, as seen above, in November 2020. See alumni highlighted prior to November 2020 from across the U.S. in the map below.