On March 27th, Raymond S. Elliott Sr. passed away peacefully at the Elaine Center in Hadley, MA. Ray was born February 18, 1924 in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Ray was raised in an active family that understood a commitment to family and community. His father, William Elliott, was a soldier in the 92nd division in World War I, and also founded the Isaac Wilson Taylor Post–the first black Veterans of Foreign Wars post in Cambridge. His mother was the first president of the Isaac Wilson Taylor Post’s Ladies Auxiliary.

Ray would carry on his family tradition, but first he would live a life that would grant him the experiences that would fuel is own activism. While attending Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts, Ray would volunteer for the Army in 1942. He reported to Fort Deens in Massachusetts followed by Kessler Airfield in Biloxi, Mississippi. Ray had aspirations of becoming a pilot, but was “washed out”, which Ray believes was because of discrimination. For the next 3 and half years, Ray remained in the service by creating survey maps during WWII in preparation for the bulging of landing strips in the Pacific Islands.

Like many other WWII veterans, Ray took full advantage of the GI Bill after the war and attended McGill University and majored in chemistry, only after being denied to Harvard due to their 1% quota of Black Americans. Ray would have a successful career as a chemist, most notably his work on the apollo mission, where he designed chemical resin honeycombs for heat shields on the Apollo spacecraft.

The discrimination Ray experienced as a Black man throughout his upbringing, his experiences of discrimination in the army and in university, combined with the activism of his parents, can be seen to have held a deep impact on him and are what fueled his activism that began in the 1950s. Ray began his work in the NAACP in the 1950s, and would later serve as President for the Western Massachusetts chapter. Over years, Ray continued to work for racial justice. From 1990-2012, he was chairman for Amherst Baha’i Race Unity committee. From 1993-99, he served as Civil Rights Commissioner for Amherst, Massachusetts. In 1993, he received the Martin Luther King Citizens award. From 2012-2016 he served as president for the NAACP Western Massachusetts chapter.

Ray was a member of the Baha’i Faith, and this faith would inspire him to speak about the oneness of mankind, and his work with “Citizens of Race Amity Now!”, an organization he founded and was president for that worked on bridging the racial divide within communities and embracing race unity. He remained president and an active member until his death.

Those who remember Ray will remember his tireless work to promote Race Amity, and his relentless service to the Baha’i Faith. In 2018, for his work in the community, Raymond Elliott received the Medal of Honor.

Ray will live on through his wife, Mary Elliott, and his two children, Martha Elliott and Raymond Elliott, Jr. He has 6 grandchildren, and 2 great-grandchildren.

A graveside service will take place on Monday, April 1, 2019 at 12pm at Wildwood Cemetery in Amherst. As an expression of sympathy, memorial contributions may be sent to the National Center for Race Amity, 100 Powder Mill Road, Suite 245, Acton, MA 01720.