Raymond C. & Shirley C. Barrall Natural Sciences Endowment

Scholarship Type: Endowed/Expendable
Established Date: December 16, 2020

We, the children of Ray and Shirley Barrall, have established the Raymond C. and Shirley C. Barrall Natural Sciences Scholarship in honor of our parents and in gratitude for all they have done for us and so many others.
Our dad, Ray, was born and raised in the small towns of Pennsylvania’s Susquehanna Valley and after high school served four years in the Navy in Guam and North Africa. Our mom, Shirley, was born and raised in the Silver City area. The GI Bill and Dad’s older brother brought him to Silver City and Western New Mexico College where our parents met in the summer of 1952 in a public speaking class. They fell in love and married on June 2, 1953. Dad majored in Chemistry and General Science and Mom majored in Elementary Education and Home Economics. In 1955, they both graduated with BS degrees and honors, Dad was elected student body president, and Mom was elected most likely to succeed.

In 1956 our parents began their journey from WNMC, building their careers, raising five children, and helping others. But they never lost touch with their Silver City roots or their deep affection for their professors, fellow students, and years at WNMU.
Our parents’ journey was long and winding and not always easy, but they persevered and, along the way inspired their children and many others as they moved in search of opportunities.
• In 1956, they moved to Rochester, New York where Dad studied as an Atomic Energy Commission Radiological Physics Fellow and earned his MS degree in Radiation Biology and Mom taught fourth grade in the public schools.
• In 1957, they moved to Vallejo, California where Dad worked on atomic submarines as a Supervisory Health Physicist at Mare Island Naval Shipyard and Mom taught fourth grade in the public schools.
• In 1959, they moved to Chicago, Illinois, where Dad was Chief Health Physicist at Illinois Institute of Technology and Mom taught kindergarten and as a substitute teacher on long-term assignments in the public schools.
• In 1965, they moved to Palo Alto, California, where Dad was Director of Health Physics, Safety and Health at Stanford University and Mom taught kindergarten and second grade in the public schools.
• In 1975, they moved to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, where Dad was Director of Radiation Research and Services at the King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Mom taught English to Saudi women at the Al Nahda Society School and privately to children.
• In 1984, they returned to Chicago, where Dad was Director of Environmental Health and Safety at the University of Illinois Medical School and Mom returned to teaching kindergarten and substituting in the public schools, capping her 27-year career of teaching in U.S. public schools.

In 1999, after long and rewarding careers, Dad and Mom retired, returned to California, to enjoy their family, friends, music, reading, and genealogy. Dad passed away on March 31, 2020, may he rest in peace. Mom lives in Fairfield, California, reads extensively, researches family history and stays in close touch with her children, grandchildren, extended family and friends.

As our parents moved around the world, working hard to advance their professional careers and support their family, they taught us and others by example the value of learning, working hard, taking pride in doing a job well no matter how menial the task, having dreams, and helping others and giving back. They also taught us the joys of music, reading, family history, travel, humor, and so much more. Thus, it is with profound gratitude for all that our parents have done for us and for many other family members, colleagues, and others that we have established this Scholarship in their honor. We hope that it will help WNMU students, in perpetuity, as they pursue their studies and that it will inspire them to reach for their dreams as they launch their own professional and personal journeys and give back to others.