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Ray is a born and bred San Franciscan. Actually he was born John Raymond Doherty, but he's been called Ray (after his Uncle Raymond) all his life. He says that it's only been in the last few years of Medicare, Passports and doctor visits that he's had to use his full name. So now it's come full circle because just about everyone in the hospital calls him "John." (He doesn't respond.) Ray was the only child of William E. Doherty and Aileen Egan. (He very vaguely recalls that he had a sister who died in childbirth, so he says he was the very spoiled only child.) He grew up on Ulloa Street (near 19th Avenue) in The City, and lived there for his first 20+ years. He went to St. Cecilia's Elementary School, St. Ignatius High School and then the University of San Francisco. He swears that he wasn't really interested in drama until his junior year in college. After obtaining his teaching degree, his first position was at Sequoia High School in Redwood City. By that time he had married his high school sweetheart, Jacklyn Radley. Ray tells the story about how he started his first day of school at Sequoia on September 9, 1959, which also happened to be the day his first child, William (Bill) Doherty, was born. Obviously, it was an eventful day. Another Ray story is that he says he worked during the day at Sequoia in 87 degree temperatures, then drove to his home in San Francisco where it was more like 54 degrees and foggy. That's when he and Jacky decided to move to Redwood City, and they found a home on Farm Hill Blvd. That was the house where Bill and the other three Doherty children (Elizabeth, John and Patricia) grew up. Ray started out teaching English at Sequoia, but as soon as the drama teacher retired, he became the drama teacher as well. That was the hayday of drama education at Sequoia. Some years he taught four or five drama classes and directed 5-6 drama productions every year. Sequoia also produced at least one faculty production each year. And then Sequoia became the magnet for the summer music/drama workshops where students from Carlmont, San Carlos High, Woodside and Menlo-Atherton High School came to perform. Eventually, Ray and Jacky divorced, which was very difficult for all of his children as well as the parents. Ray was single for many years, but in the early 1980s he became acquainted with Joanne Engelhardt through mutual friends. Joanne recalls that even though Ray told his friend Sharon that he wanted to ask out Joanne, he never did, so eventually Joanne asked him out, not once, but several times before they finally "connected." Joanne says that Ray's daughter, Patty, once told her she was so glad he was dating her because some of his girlfriends were nearly the same age as his daughters! Ray was directing "You Can't Take It Without You" at Hillbarn Theatre in Foster City when he and Joanne decided to get married. They asked if they could be married on stage, so on August 26, 1989, amidst the scenery and props for "Brighton Beach Memoirs," they were married by Ray's school principal, Earl Walker, who was also a minister. Everything about the wedding had a theatre theme, including the wedding invitation which looked like a theatre ticket and said: Ray Doherty and Joanne Engelhardt |
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Over the years Ray directed and performed in many community theatre productions, but it wasn't until after he retired from Sequoia that he really went to town. Theatre people love him for his quick wit, his ability to come up with a line when they forget theirs and being almost unflappable on stage. Perhaps his most memorable role has been playing Benjamin Franklin twice in "1776:" first at the Douglas Morrison Theatre in Hayward and then in Saratoga for Saratoga Drama Group. He also took his Ben Franklin show on the road, appearing before the Sons of the American Revolution, the Daughters of the American Revolution and in Fourth of July parades. See the Artifacts page to view Ray's Theatrical Resume. |
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When this devoted Giants fan turned 65, Joanne surprised him by giving him a trip to the Giants Fantasy Camp. He was actually both terribly excited and terribly scared when he got to camp that week. But it turned out to be so special that he ended up going back to Fantasy Camp every year for the next five years, and he even took son Bill with him one year. He and Joanne have become rabid Giants fans and attend about 20 games a year. |
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Ray has four kids: Bill, Elizabeth, John, and Patricia who have given him six wonderful grandchildren: Samantha (a pole vaulter extraordinaire and a senior at Fresno State University), Victoria, Ian, Lindsay, Paige, and Rylan. His brave young grandson, Nickolas, died of cancer in 2002 at the age of 14. See the Artifacts page to view articles written about Ray. |
Site Created by Jim & Judy Nugent
Last updated May 4, 2007