Obituary of Raymond Reisenger

Raymond H. Reisenger, Ph.D SchenectadyRaymond H. Reisenger, passed away peacefully at his home on December 13, 2012. He was born in Schenectady, NY on October 24, 1919, the son of Henry Joseph and Georgianna (Wing) Reisenger. Ray was a 1938 graduate of Mont Pleasant High School and a 1943 graduate of the General Electric Company Apprentice Program, which at the time was equivalent to a college education. He proudly served in the U.S. Air Forces in the Pacific Theater during WWII and flew 24 missions over Japan as a tail gunner aboard a B-29. He flew from Tinian Island which also was the point of origin for the A-bomb. Returning to his family in Schenectady, he rejoined GE as a machinist. The G.I. Bill opened opportunities to become a teacher and he realized how much more personal appeal a teaching career held for him. Opportunities followed at a steady pace after he finished his B.S. degree from SUNY Oswego. He taught in the public schools in Binghamton, Amsterdam and Schenectady before being appointed as a guidance counselor at McKinley Jr. High School and then Linton High School. At Linton, he was also chairman of the Vocational, Technical and Cooperative Education Department. His M.S. degree in guidance was earned at SUNY Albany. In 1964 to 1965, Ray was one of 10 vocation-technical educators invited to participate in a state Administrative Leadership Development Program. This program led to the BOCES (Board of Cooperative Education Services in New York Sate). The following year he joined the staff at SUNY Oswego as an associate professor, serving as the Albany regional director of 24 counties for the teacher training programs offered statewide. In 1967, he was appointed as the NYS research associate at the new Ohio State Center for Vocational Technical Education in Columbus, Ohio. He served the center for two years, completing his doctoral studies before returning to Albany. Dr. Reisenger served two year in So. Korea with a team assembled by the Dunwoody Industrial Institute of Minneapolis, MN as a teacher training and mechanical consultant. Korea's project with World Bank was for developing and equipping area centers for Voc/Tech schools and two year institutes. Upon returning, he joined the NYS Education Department as an associate in the Occupational Education Division. He worked on developing computer language and tracking students' careers. In 1974, he was appointed as director of education for the NYS Department of Corrections. After retiring in 1975, he was called again by Dunwoody to join and be part of a three man team in Saudi Arabia serving the Aramco Oil Company. The training of maintenance workers was the curriculum for the team. He continued in retirement to consult with and teach at community colleges and universities. Ray is survived by his wife of 69 years, Betty Jane (Comstock) Reisenger; two sons, James R. (Patricia) Reisenger of Edina, MN and Dale R. (Carol) Reisenger of Schenectady; four grandchildren, Lori Reisenger Phillips and Eric J. Reisenger of Schenectady, Chad J. Reisenger of Wilmington, DE and Matt Reisenger of St. Louis Park, MN; three great-grandchildren, Emma and Molly Sinisgalli of Schenectady and Leo Reisenger of Wilmington, DE. In addition to his parents, he was predeceased by his son, Jack in 1977 and his brother, Harold. A celebration of his life will be held on January 5, 2013 at Union Presbyterian Church, 1068 Park Avenue, Schenectady, NY at 10 a.m. Interment will be private at Park Cemetery in Scotia, NY. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to a charity of one's choice.