May 16, 2011

Scripps Oceanography Mourns the Loss
of Tim Ray

Graduate Student in Argo Lab

Scripps Institution of Oceanography/University of California, San Diego

Tributes to Tim

To All Of Those Closest To Tim Ray: Unfortunately I never had the honor of meeting Tim - having studied Marine & Atmospheric Studies at the University of Miami RSMAS MANY years ago. But he must have been spectacular because his effect, and the effect of his sudden passing, has had a powerful effect on one of the most amazing ocean environmentalists alive today - Roz Savage. Roz is currently rowing the final leg - the Indian Ocean leg - of her solo row around the world to raise awareness for all sorts of their - Hers and Tim's - shared environmental causes. Her Blog this morning, from the middle of the Indian Ocean, shared the news on Tim. As I told her in response to her devastation at this news, Tim will now forever be a member of her Crew. My thoughts are with his family, friends and associates...
-- Richard Webster

Tim and I were shipmates in the Navy. I was always in awe of his drive, intelligence, compassion and sense of adventure. It is with a heavy heart that I say goodbye, and wish with all my heart that I could be there, with his closest friends and family to remember and celebrate his life. However I am thankful to have known him over the past 6 years and called him friend! Tim - you were an exceptional human being and will be greatly missed!
-- Vanessa DeSha

I only met Tim a few weeks ago when he volunteered to host an Argo booth at UCSD's Green Open House, but my brief time with him left a lasting impression of an outgoing and generous guy who enjoyed sharing his knowledge and time with others. This overwhelming outpouring of thoughts and support is a testament to what a wonderful person he really was. I feel lucky to have known him even for a short time.
--Caitlin Denham

We were so deeply saddened to hear of Tim's untimely passing. So very recently he participated in the NSF IGERT poster competition and his poster Can salt prevent Pacific island water crises? An "oceanic rain gauge" for water management showed his keen intellect and dedication to solving critical issues of our time. He was selected as a finalist, and we were looking forward to hearing him present in person at the National Science Foundation on May 25th. He will be sorely missed by all in attendance. His poster and audio narration can be accessed at http://www.igert.org/posters2011/posters/135. Our sincere condolences to his family, friends and colleagues and Scripps.
--Joni Falk

I’d first like to express my condolences for all, especially Mr. and Mrs. Ray, Chris, Steve, and Bethany. More importantly, though, I'd like to thank them for sharing Tim with us. I am glad that I was able to join them this evening to celebrate the living memories of Tim, those which will carry on for a very long time in each of our hearts.

One of my favorite quotes has long been: “We are not like blocks of ice, conducting ourselves as solid individuals as we move from place to place.  We are like water flowing freely.” With respect to our environment (that is, all of our surroundings, material possessions, and humanity itself), the metaphor serves the purpose of pointing out that all is one.

I can think of no one who better lived this metaphor than Tim. Taking it quite literally, Tim was the best lover of the ocean that I’ve ever met, from his long ocean swims to a professional career that focused on making the oceans better for all of us to his dedicated lifestyle which made the ocean’s resources more sustainable. In its more metaphorical sense, Tim understood that we are all streams of water whose source and destination is one ocean. He knew that any pollution would affect everyone, in a truly connected way. I don’t just mean that he attempted to minimize material waste (he certainly did) but instead that he wanted to touch everyone’s life in a positive, unpolluted way. He truly did that for me.

I am very happy to know that I had the chance to tell Tim part of the impact that his life had on me. It took me a few months of knowing him to have the courage to tell him this, but about halfway through last year (which was my first at Scripps), I told him that meeting him at Scripps’ Open House was a big part of the reason that I chose Scripps over other schools. His kindness, friendliness, and over-the-top helpfulness during my short weekend at Scripps when I was still choosing a graduate program told me that this was certainly the place I wanted to spend the next few years of my life. When I finally told him this, he simply burst out laughing and told me, “You better head back for the East Coast, if I’m the reason you’re here!”

Tim wanted to have the greatest positive impact on others that he possibly could and he was truly successful, but he was far too modest to admit that he actually did.

So, while I’ll miss those conversations that we had about how to row and swim across oceans more sustainably and how to help others to love the oceans as much as he and I do (and always will), I’ll know for sure that whenever I’m out there, Tim will have his eye on me.

Thank you, Tim, for teaching me that we are indeed like water and we can all have a positive impact on our ocean, whatever that ocean might be in our own lives. I love you and I miss you.
-- Phil Bresnahan

Last year I met Timothy after he wrote and offered to arrange for me to speak at the Aquarium in San Diego last October. I spent a couple of days in his company, and found him to be full of fun, charisma, intelligence, potential, and zest for life. When I heard the news of his passing, I was deeply affected, out of all proportion to the length of time I spent with him. This is a terrible loss to the world, which now, more than ever, needs people like Tim. I hope that his friends and family will carry forward his legacy - for the Earth, and for humanity.
-- Roz Savage

TIM'S TOP TEN TIPS FOR PERSONAL ENVIRONMENTAL ACCOUNTABILITY
(Text of eulogy delivered at Scripps Seaside Forum, May 18, 2011)

As has been mentioned, but as bears repeating, Tim cared immensely about our planet, and sustainability was one goal that he felt humans could tangibly achieve every day. Even if passage of proper climate protection legislation was years away, Tim knew he could do his part day in and day out to help preserve the world that he treasured. With that and with Bethany's assistance, I hypothetically present Tim's Top Ten Tips for personal environmental accountability. As one man, Tim could only affect so much change. But as one spirit, uniting us all in love and in inspiration, Tim can affect positive change that influences the hundreds here today and the thousands that he touched throughout his life. Some of these actions may seem obvious to us. Some may seem tedious and feel, well, globally negligible. We may already do 90% of these things 90% of the time, but that's not up to Tim's standards. Tim believed in these small actions, and if we can each better ourselves daily in his image, we can contribute to the realization of Tim's dreams.

1. Compost. First and foremost is composting. Green waste too often ends up in landfills or gets burned as trash, and it's completely unnecessary. Green waste can be deposited at community collection areas, or simple home compost bins can be inexpensively and easily created. Feel free to ask us for more details later. We can even supply some starter worms to get you going.

2. Utilize reusable bottles & containers. This one is certainly catching on, but we all have lapses. Tim didn't have lapses.

3. No plastic bags, no plastic wrap. I won't give Tim's anti-plastic lecture here. Feel free to look up the vast negative effects of plastics on the environment, but for now, let's just take Tim's word for it.

Review: 1. COMPOST, 2. REUSE, 3. NO NASTY PLASTICS!

4. Use cloth napkins. Void your house of paper napkins and paper towels. Cloth napkins and cloth towels reduce household paper consumption and take up virtually no extra space in our laundry piles, meaning they don't use additional water either.

5. Conserve water. Low flow flush knobs are available at hardware stores and can be easily installed by anyone on their current toilet. SDG&E offers faucet regulators for free to most customers as well.

6. Use electrical power strips & unplug things. In addition to mitigating the steady trickle of "always on" energy loss, this is also a sensible household fire prevention measure as well.

Review: 1. COMPOST, 2. REUSE, 3. NO NASTY PLASTICS, 4. CLOTH, 5. CONSERVE, 6. DEPOWER!

7. Eat sustainable foods. Bananas travel too far. Swordfish is completely overfished. Many conventional vegetables use petroleum-based fertilizers. Be informed about what you eat. Buy locally.

8. Eat less meat. A continuation of the previous point, but bears specific mention in and of itself. Pound for pound, the carbon foot print of animal proteins is exponentially greater than the carbon foot print of non-animal proteins.

9. Walk… run… bike… No further clarification required.

Review: 1. COMPOST, 2. REUSE, 3. NO NASTY PLASTICS, 4. CLOTH, 5. CONSERVE, 6. DEPOWER, 7. EAT SMART, 8. EAT SMARTER, 9. WALK… RUN… BIKE….

10. LEAD BY EXAMPLE. Be aware of your every action. Every day, every action. Wash off a piece of foil and reuse it. Make the ten minute walk to pick up a pizza order. Honor Tim with each decision. Lead by example. Tim was a gentle man of firm action. He was blessed with every gift but length of years, and he always felt steadfast dedication to the conservation of our world. Let us now take up the banner and continue Tim's mission in honor of our great friend and loved one. Where one man once stood now swells the energy of thousands, united through one miraculous spirit.
-- John Francis Scanlon

I’ve been lucky enough to know Tim in many different arenas: as a classmate, as a teammate, as a birthday buddy, but mostly as a great friend. Tim and I met at the pier party our first year. Both of us were in the Applied Ocean Science Curricular group – and hadn’t met any of our other AOSers. I was nervous about being back in school, but Tim and I made a pact that we would make it through departmental together. We studied together, and pushed each other and became good friends along the way. Some of my favorite memories of Tim involve singing – whether in the AC lounge – as a break from studying – or in the car – Tim would belt it out with me. Some of his favorites were Jamiroquai, Paper Planes and Handlebars. Tim was very involved with the UCSD Triathlon team our first year, and after seeing the success of the UCSD Grove Run – which Tim put a lot of blood and sweat into to make it a sustainable race – I decided to join him our second year. Tim, as an athlete, was a different person from my goofy math buddy. His strength, leadership and drive made him an amazing competitor – such to earn him the title “The Great Timothy Ray.” Don’t get me wrong – Tim was still goofy – and would sing on long Saturday rides, but the way he pushed himself was inspiring. His competitive nature didn’t take away from his compassion. I was coming back from an injury, and often found myself at the end of the pack – Tim would find me trying to finish a race, and run the last mile with me – cheering me on the entire time. About a month into our first year, Tim realized we shared a birthday – and Birthday Buddies we became. And we had awesome birthdays! - Bonfires, Music Trivia, Boat Cruises, and my favorite – swimming with bioluminescence. This year, I was at sea for our birthday – and among the things I missed, celebrating with Tim was at the top. Tim was a passionate person – especially about the environment. A memory that stands out was when I brought my mom’s homemade brownies to wave’s lab to share. As they were sitting out, Tim noticed the saran wrap covering the Pyrex dish – “Did you know you can’t recycle saran wrap?” My reply was “You don’t need to eat any of the brownies.” But I realized Tim wasn’t trying to preach, but educate – and sure enough – both my mom and I think twice about using saran wrap for treats and leftovers. Tim was a go-getter – if he didn’t like something – he’d go and find out ways to make it better. He had a great smile, and was always there to pick friends up. He waited in line with me for 2 hours for free Sprinkle’s cupcakes – I’m not sure if it that was because he was such a good friend – or free cupcakes. He accompanied me to different events (Reclaim Summer, Ignite San Diego) when I wasn’t able to find anyone else to go with me. He was always willing to help – whether with matlab, with moving, or baking cupcakes for a friend’s birthday. He was a great friend to me. He loved his friends. He loved his family. He loved Bethany. I know Tim will live on because everyone here has a piece of Tim in their hearts.
-- Brianne Moskovitz

I've been writing a book that includes reflections on the Naval Academy and my time aboard USS CURTIS WILBUR, a destroyer stationed in Japan. I just went on Facebook to contact Tim and reflect on the Navy with him, and found a Facebook page dedicated to his remembrance instead. I served with Tim aboard CURTIS WILBUR for almost two years. We spent many nights together hammered in Tokyo. But we also went on long bike rides along the coast of Japan too. I had the opportunity to get out of the Navy early, and did so because of my opposition to the occupations of Iraq and Afghanistan. No one gave me a hard time about my decision, but Tim especially showed me compassion. He often listened to the mixed emotions I had about being a good navy officer, yet opposed to the wars. We used to joke that when we got out of the Navy that we'd wear hemp pants and tie dye t-shirts all the time. Tim was a warrior whom I was proud to serve with. I would have died fighting with him if things had really come to that. But I'm even more proud that when he got out of the Navy that he directed his warrior instincts towards protecting the planet.
-- Fabian Bouthillette