McCook and Southwest Nebraska lost another colorful character this past week with the passing of Ray Walter.
Ray taught art for decades, instilling a love for all mediums of art in generations of school children. And then even after retiring, he couldn’t stay out of the classroom. He returned as a substitute teacher, frequently at St. Patrick Elementary and Hitchcock County or wherever he was needed.
He also could be found at the McCook Art Guild, again sharing his passion for art with people of all ages, leading classes in everything from throwing ceramics to building stained glass creations to photography and painting.
Ray was a very talented artist in his own right, winning numerous awards for his artwork. But his true gift was sharing that passion and creativity with others.
But his desire to get others involved didn’t just stop with the artwork.
In fact, Ray was my “sponsor” for the McCook Rotary Club a few years ago. I had visited Rotary numerous times over the past twenty years, serving as the speaker for the weekly meeting. But it was Ray who finally asked, “Do you want to join?” It was that simple. Others had assumed I had been asked to join the club and turned them down, but in reality, no one had taken the time to ask that simple question: Do you want to join?
In just last week’s column, I said that it is all about the ask. It cannot be said too often: People like to be asked. They like to be invited. They like to be included. They want to feel like they are part of something bigger than themselves.
And that was what Ray was good at: getting people involved while celebrating artwork.
My last conversation with Ray was a few months ago about a group creating a mural to celebrate Culbertson’s 150th anniversary this summer. He was so excited to share the design for the project and how it was being created. He was proud to be involved in something that was going to outlast him after it was installed for the celebration in July.
Unfortunately, Ray won’t be here for its dedication but I hope it gets completed in honor of the man who brought so much artwork to Culbertson already.
On a personal note, Ray lived just down the country road from me with his home - the former District 8 school house - serving as one of the turnarounds on my running routes. He knew this and invited me to partake of the peach tree when the branches were so heavy with peaches, the limbs bent toward the ground. If I needed a mid-run snack, I could grab a crab apple or two because no one can ever deal with all the apples before they fall off and cover the ground. Or I would take a break during the run to view Ray’s latest ceramic creation from his personal kiln if the garage doors were open in his garage/art studio on a nice day.
Last week, I knew Ray had recently returned home from Lincoln after battling medical issues. And all week, I meant to do a run down the road to stop in and see him. But like life does, I got busy and it didn’t happen before it was too late.
Lesson learned.
We need to take the time to reach out to others for a simple cup of coffee. We need to set aside a few minutes to write a letter to an older person at the retirement home. We need to make the effort to stop by and just say “hi,” even if it is just for a few minutes.
Again, it’s about the ask. It’s about the invite. It’s about taking the time to reach out to others before it is too late.
