Dr. Leonard Sr.

Walter Raymond "Ray" Leonard, 94, of Spartanburg, SC, died Wednesday, October 18, 2017 after an extended period of ill health. The son of Homer Stanley Leonard and Minnie Neal Leonard, he was born on July 5, 1923 in Maces Spring, Virginia. His family moved to Kingsport, Tennessee when Ray was a young child. He was a gifted athlete in high school, where he excelled in baseball and basketball. He often shared the story that his father chose to name him after two Hall of Fame baseball players, Walter Johnson and Tyrus Raymond Cobb. After high school, Ray joined the Army Air Corps Reserves. However, a medical issue led to an honorable discharge from the Army and he decided to resume his education and basketball career at Tusculum College in Greeneville, Tennessee, where he majored in chemistry. He was accepted at the Medical University of Tennessee, but realized that he was more drawn to a career in research and teaching. In 1946, he was awarded a double fellowship at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee where he earned a Master's degree in Biology in 1947 and a Ph.D. degree in Physiology in 1949. After completing his doctorate, Ray moved to Spartanburg to begin his teaching career at Wofford College. In 1951, he was awarded a Reeves Professorship and was named Chair of the Department of Biology, a position he held until his retirement in 1993. Over the years, Wofford became an integral and special part of Ray's life and the lives of his family. Ray met his wife, Ann, who, while a student at Converse College, took a summer class at Wofford from Ray in 1950. They were married in 1951, following Ann's graduation. Ray's two children attended and graduated from Wofford, and he was proud to have taught them both in biology classes. Two of his granddaughters also graduated from Wofford. In 1973, twenty physicians he had taught honored him with the establishment of the Walter Raymond Leonard Scholarship Fund at Wofford. In 1987, he was named the Kenan Professor of Biology, and in 1993, he retired from his forty-four year career at Wofford. In addition to teaching at Wofford, Ray was an avid and loyal fan of Wofford athletics. He rarely missed a home football or basketball game until declining health prevented his attendance. He served as Faculty Athletic Representative during his tenure at Wofford and was named honorary Letterman by the Wofford Letterman's Club in 1993. Additionally, in 1983 he was inducted into the Tusculum College Sports Hall of Fame. After retirement in 1993, Ray received additional honors from Wofford. In 1999, he was presented the Distinguished Citizens Award by the Wofford National Alumni Association and in 2008 an award for Excellence in Biology was named for him. In 2012, Wofford dedicated a new student apartment building in The Village in his honor. He was very gratified that many of his former colleagues and students attended the ceremony. Ray was also a long-time, faithful member of Central United Methodist Church in Spartanburg, where he served on numerous committees over the years and as an usher on Sunday mornings. In earlier years, he also belonged to the Spartanburg Jaycees and the Downtown Sertoma Club. Ray was a golfer for many years and recorded his first hole-in-one at age 84. Ray is survived by his wife of 66 years, Ann McCaskill Leonard; his daughter, Leslie Leonard Newman and husband Jerry of Johns Island, SC; and his son, Walter Raymond Leonard, Jr. and wife Deborah of Seabrook Island, SC; three granddaughters, Leslie Claire Murchison of Daniel Island, SC, Lauren Murchison Clevenger and husband Matt of Williamsburg, VA, and Leanna Leonard Boatwright and husband Ike of Mount Pleasant, SC; and one great-grandson, Grey Boatwright. Visitation will be 1:30-2:30 PM Friday, October 20, 2017, at Central United Methodist Church Fellowship Hall, 233 N. Church St., Spartanburg, SC 29306. A memorial service honoring his life will follow at 3:00 PM, at the church, conducted by The Rev. Dr. Thomas H. Norrell and The Rev. John Ropp. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Walter Raymond Leonard Scholarship Fund, c/o Wofford Scholarship Development Office, 429 North Church Street, Spartanburg, SC 29303. Floyd's North Church Street Chapel To send flowers or a memorial gift to the family of Dr. Walter Raymond Leonard Sr. please visit our Sympathy Store.