Raymond O. Collier Jr., Ph.D., Professor Emeritus' Obituary
Raymond O. Collier, Jr., Ph.D., Professor Emeritus
Raymond Collier, Jr. went to be with his heavenly father on August 19, 2014 at the age of 92.
He was born March 17, 1922, in Starkville, MS to Dosha and Raymond Collier, grew up and attended high school in Douglas, AZ. In 1943, as a Private First Class, he attended Texas Tech in Advanced Mechanical Engineering under the auspices of the Army Specialized Training Program. The Army disbanded the program in 1944, and sent him to the 12th Armored Division as a Mortar Gunner in Company A of the 17th Armored Infantry Battalion. He was seriously wounded during action in January 1945, near Offendorf, Alsace, France. After being evacuated, he developed gangrene in his right forearm which was amputated below the elbow. Ray’s military awards include the American Theater and European Theater Good Conduct Medal, the Purple Heart, the Combat Infantryman Badge, Victory Medal, Overseas Bar and the Bronze Service Star. After spending a year in Army Hospitals, he married an Army Cadet Nurse, Dorothy McGuigan. He earned four academic Degrees, including a Doctor of Philosophy from the University of Minnesota. Ray’s 34 years teaching career began in 1949, as a Math teacher in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma and culminated with teaching graduate courses in Educational Psychology, Statistical Methodology, Applied Probability and the Design of Experiments. Ray was a prolific writer, authoring numerous papers which were published in various Professional Educational Journals. In 1977, he authored a book in educational research entitled Experimental Design and Interpretation, which is still required reading for graduate students. During his professional career he was considered to be one of the world’s most brilliant statisticians.
Ray retired and moved to East Texas in March, 1984, where he perused various interest, including reestablishing contact with members of the unit he served with during WWII. He became an active member of the “Hellcats”, the 12th Armored Division Association, working tirelessly to establish a correct list of the 12th Armored Division Dead. In 1992, he published the booklet, Casualties of the United States Twelfth Armored Division, WWII. After Dorothy, his wife of 48 years passed away in October, 1993, Ray traveled to Germany on several occasions. He retraced the route taken by 12th Armored Division in 1944/45 and participated in the “Reconciliation Over the Graves and Our Foes Became Our Friends,” observance on the Fiftieth Anniversary of the Battle of Nassig.
In 1996, at the age of 72, he met and married Geralene Hensley. Together they built a home in Northwest Longview that became the center of many family activities.
In spite of his life altering injuries he savored life, lived it to the absolute fullest every day, with joy and humor. He loved spending time with family and friends where he usually took center stage resulting in lively conversation and much laughter.
Those left to remember this great man include his devoted wife, Geralene Collier; his children, Richard Collier, Clarence Dye, Arlene Parker, Jean ‘Tootie” Hickman, Juanita Williams and husband Pat, and Nancy Kauffman; brother, Dr. Robert Collier; grandchildren, Tyanne and Omar Fabian, who were invaluable in helping with keeping him active in his final years, and numerous other grandchildren and great grandchildren.
Cremation arrangements are under the direction of Rader Funeral Home of Longview.
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