Prof. Mary Ruth Ray (MUS) passed away on Jan. 29, ending an on-going battle with cancer and leaving an imprint on the community, made over 30 years of teaching and performing at Brandeis.

Ray, a dedicated violist, was one of the original members of the Lydian String Quartet. Over the years, she has mentored student violists and worked with various composers and student ensembles on campus. In 2005, she took on the role of Music department chair.

"As dean of the faculty of arts and sciences, I gratefully appointed her chair of the Music department. I came to rely heavily on her good sense, calm in the face of a storm, and good will towards everyone around her," wrote Prof. Adam Jaffe (ECON), the former Dean of Arts and Sciences, in an email to the Justice.

Ray worked to advance and maintain the Music department as the chair, and was a well-regarded and respected faculty member among her colleagues.

"[Ray's] supportive, calm and positive demeanor in this position was proved an important element in the department's stability during the recent economic downturn. She will be missed greatly," wrote Prof. Daniel Stepner (MUS), a violinist in the Lydian String Quartet, and Ray's colleague of 26 years, in an email to the Justice.

Not only did Ray leave an impression on the Music department, but she also played a role in the community around her at the University.

"She was a great Brandeis citizen who contributed enormously to the well-being of the whole university, not only the arts community," wrote Director of the Office of the Arts, and Ray's colleague of 10 years, Scott Edmiston in an email to the Justice. "I used to think, when I heard the Lydians play together: 'If justice was music, it would sound something like this.  And if life was just, it would always be as glorious as the sound of Mary Ruth playing on her viola, and she would be with us still. She lives on in her music.'"

Students influenced by Ray reflected on her expertise and dedication as both an educator and a mentor.

"[Ray's] devotion to encouraging students to explore our dreams and work tirelessly to achieve our ambitions is a credit to her belief that all students are individuals and deserved her attention," wrote Nicholas Brown '10, who acted as assistant conductor and manager of the University Chorus and led the tour to Germany and Austria in 2008, to the Justice. "She touched generations of students by providing us with the opportunities to find ourselves as musicians, Brandeisians and human beings in a way that few educators can."

In addition to her impact at the University, Ray was also an internationally acclaimed musician. She performed as a guest artist with the Boston Symphony Orchestra, the Bard Music Festival and the Apple Hill Chamber Players, among others, and was a member and soloist with Emmanuel Music in Boston.

"I remember from the beginning that her playing was ... very good. That's what she wanted to do: she wanted to play music," said Professor Emeritus Martin Boykan (MUS) in an interview with the Justice.

Boykan, who composed a few pieces that Ray performed, commented on her devotion to music and her objectives to improve the Music department.

"The thing that always hit me really hard...was that all she cared about was her music and was totally indifferent toward any kind of agenda," he said. "She was really and totally fair. Her goal was to help the department and to make sure professors could teach what they wanted and how they wanted to."

"Although Mary Ruth's life ended too soon, it was one filled with accomplishment.  She made an important difference in many lives, and was beloved by her students and colleagues," wrote Provost Steve Goldstein '78 in a Jan. 29 email to the community announcing Ray's death. "She will be greatly missed by all those who knew her, worked with her, and learned from her." 

A memorial tribute to Ray is to be planned at a later date.