We are sad to inform members of the university and alumni that Ray Paternoster passed away on Sunday. As you all know, Ray was one of “the founding members” of the Department that Charles Wellford assembled in the early 1980s and a major reason for the continued high quality of the program since that time.
Ray has done some of the most important work on sentencing and offender decision making in the last three decades. As a teacher Ray was one of the exceptional few who could consistently inspire rave reviews from students in a required statistics course of 200. He mentored a large cadre of graduate students who are now professors in their own right at the leading departments of criminology and criminal justice. There are countless graduates who can rightly say, “I would have never made it without Ray.” His value as a colleague is apparent in the number of publications that he has written with faculty and students in the department. His irreverence made us laugh and his passion inspired us.
There is no doubt that his passing will leave a hole in this place that is broad and deep. It is important that we all pull together to fill that void and continue the tradition that Ray was so essential in building.
Read the BSOS College Tribute
Read the Diamondback Tribute
The CCJS department hopes to have a formal memorial service at some point in the future, but we are trying to give the family some time to grieve this huge loss. For now, there is a card that all students are welcome to sign and send messages of condolences to the family. The card is available now through Friday, March 10 in the CCJS Advising office. The Advising office is open Monday through Friday from 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM.
Ray has done some of the most important work on sentencing and offender decision making in the last three decades. As a teacher Ray was one of the exceptional few who could consistently inspire rave reviews from students in a required statistics course of 200. He mentored a large cadre of graduate students who are now professors in their own right at the leading departments of criminology and criminal justice. There are countless graduates who can rightly say, “I would have never made it without Ray.” His value as a colleague is apparent in the number of publications that he has written with faculty and students in the department. His irreverence made us laugh and his passion inspired us.
There is no doubt that his passing will leave a hole in this place that is broad and deep. It is important that we all pull together to fill that void and continue the tradition that Ray was so essential in building.
Read the BSOS College Tribute
Read the Diamondback Tribute
The CCJS department hopes to have a formal memorial service at some point in the future, but we are trying to give the family some time to grieve this huge loss. For now, there is a card that all students are welcome to sign and send messages of condolences to the family. The card is available now through Friday, March 10 in the CCJS Advising office. The Advising office is open Monday through Friday from 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM.
