Hall of Fame
Raymond J. Hanlon ’51 – Class of 1986
Motion…
One foot placed before the body. Now the other. Repeat. Again. Again. Ease into a longer stride. Again. Again. Involve your entire body, a fluid entity stretching ever forward. Again. Again. A cooling gentle breeze becomes a welcome friend; time and space are the enemy. Again. Again. The line appears in the distance, the mark of the end. All that came before becomes one, a single effort with component parts not subject to separate analysis. Now there is only that line…and the body, or the spirit, must reach it…quickly.
Those of us not fleet of foot acknowledge there is a special athletic talent bestowed upon runners. But we know too there is something else. The runner tests not only his skill – his speed against the competition; he tests himself.
Ray Hanlon was probably not the fastest runner who wore the green and gold in the early years of Le Moyne College. This Hall of Fame not only recognizes the swift, but also celebrates those qualities not demonstrated by ribbons and medals – qualities not subject to easy definition but clearly marked by that “something else” displayed by this runner. He is a man who tests himself and those around him in a fashion which demands nothings less than the best. He is a man of motion.
A member of Le Moyne’s pioneer class of 1951, Ray continued his studies, first with a semester at Marquette University and then at Syracuse University. While working toward his master’s degree in education he taught at Lyncourt School and coached at Le Moyne. One might think that such a grueling schedule might lead to attempts to minimize commitments. Not for Ray Hanlon. He challenged his Le Moyne teams with constant competition. If there was a meet in which the Dolphins could compete, they were there.
He imparted to his charges the kind of determination and drive which marked his own exploits and came to be recognized as one of the finest young coaches in the nation.
He completed his master’s in 1956 and then began courses to become certified as a counselor. In 1961 he began a long and mutually beneficial association with Providence College as a teacher in the education department and track coach. He is justifiably proud of his ability to help young people make the most of their abilities, amply demonstrated by the fact that in one year three of his Friars earned All-American status.
The urge to motion beckoned again in 1969 and he found an opportunity to combine his academic pursuits with his love for running as the Senior Honorary Track Coach for the Republic of Ireland while working toward his Doctorate in Educational Psychology at the National University in Dublin.
When he returned to the United States a year later to resume his teaching and complete his dissertation, he also continued coaching, this time at Rhode Island College. In 1973 he received his Doctorate in Educational Psychology.
In all his travels, Ray was accompanied by his family, who was never shortchanged as a result of his other endeavors. His wife Jane and children Mary, Patricia, Christopher, John, Joseph, and Martha all accompanied him to Ireland. A camp in the Adirondacks built by their hands is testimony to their closeness, and Ray and Jane’s determination to provide a symbol of security for a family often on the move.
Ray Hanlon’s motion has not been limited to athletics and academics. He is the editor of The Man From the Past, a compilation of the diary of the first white man in the Big Moose area. It is now in its second printing. He is an inventor who holds patents on a device designed to mitigate the effect of cold air on the lungs when running. This device also holds hope for more normal lives of those afflicted with chronic lung disease. He is a man of deep conviction, a member of the Legion of Mary who became active in the Christian Family Movement as a bridge between his family and minority groups in his community.
Ray Hanlon knows how to exert the body and spirit to reach a goal. He has taught others how. He is a man of motion, of determination, one who refuses to set limits for himself or those around him.
Because he has made manifest in his life that special character all great runners must possess, Raymond J. Hanlon ’51 is a fitting member of the
Le Moyne College Athletic Hall of Fame
May 3, 1986
