Having six children and 11 grandchildren attend your alma mater is no easy feat, but that is the case for Distinguished Service Award winner Reverend Don Ray. Ray, a Sterling College graduate of 1962, received the award during Sterling's 118th commencement on May 22.

"This is the highest Alumni Award given. It honors and recognizes a lifetime of service that exemplifies the purposes of Sterling College's existence - exceptional contributions to society, distinguished professional accomplishment, outstanding leadership and character" said David Earle, director of alumni relations. "Don Ray exemplifies those characteristics and more.

Ray earned his undergraduate degree from Sterling College in 1962, while pastoring two Presbyterian churches in south central Kansas and raising a family of six children with his wife, Beverly. After graduating from Sterling, Ray attended Dubuque Theological Seminary, graduating in 1965. That same year he accepted a call to the 1st Presbyterian Church of Ellsworth, Kan., where he and his wife had a vibrant ministry and finished raising their family. He served that congregation faithfully for twenty-six years, retiring in 1991. Ray also served on the Board of Directors at Sterling College from 1973 to 1991.