Personal Information:
Ray Sweany
2018 Greenlawn Ave.
Kalamazoo, MI 49006
rasweany@charter.net
Current life situation:
Now retired. I am now
working with Kalamazoo Valley Habitat for Humanity and becoming somewhat
political through associations at church and Michigan United.
Family history:
I am married to Ann Elizabeth Scharff of Wyanet, IL. We have two daughters, both of
whom are still living in Louisiana.
I went to Michigan
State University
after graduating from ELHS, majoring in Chemistry, thanks in no small measure
to Mr. Knox and Mr. Sebeson. On
graduation, I joined the Peace Corps and served in Harrar, Ethiopia
teaching chemistry at a provincial high school at all grade levels. In 1969, I returned to the US and entered a graduate chemistry program at
the University of
Illinois. After two years, I was drafted into the
Army. Following basic training, I was
assigned to the Army Environmental Hygiene Agency at Edgewood Arsenal in the
Air Pollution Engineering Division. Most
of our activities revolved around monitoring incinerator units that were either
in use or under development for the destruction of biological and chemical
weapon stocks. After a two-year tour, I
returned to U of I where I completed the doctorate under the direction of Ted
Brown in physical organometallic chemistry.
Now married to Ann, we moved to Hyde Park, Chicago
where I did a post-doctoral stint at the University of Chicago.
In 1977, I joined the faculty at the University of New Orleans,
where we were for the next 34 years until my retirement. My research mostly centered around low
temperature characterizations of organometallic hydrides and metal-dihydrogen
compounds. I had learned in Ethiopia that I
enjoyed teaching and the interactions between student and teacher. Work was the equivalent of play.
Ann and I met in a church environment and we have been
active ever since. We were involved in
the founding of a multi-ethnic United Methodist Church
in New Orleans. In 2005, we and most of the city were banged
around by Hurricane Katrina. We spent
the rest of our time in New Orleans,
by and large, trying to renew a house and restart a church, a university and
assisting some of our friends and neighbors.
When I retired in 2011, we wanted to find a smaller house situated far
enough north that we wouldn’t have to evacuate for hurricanes when we were
old and feeble. After researching
several possible locations, we relocated to Kalamazoo.
As for hobbies, I started running when I faced the
likelihood of military service. I have
been running ever since. Under the
influence of some of very good chefs, we enjoy cooking. I began a romance with granite while working
with a house restoration and stone work continues to count as a hobby.
|
