Sad news to share with you. Ray Forget had a massive heart attack and died on November 6, 2004. Ray had rheumatic fever as a kid, and as a result dealt heart problems for most of his life.
He is survived by his wife Paula A. (Leventis), his father, Richard E. Sr. of Douglas; a son, Andrew of Uxbridge; a daughter, Madeline of Northbridge; a brother, Richard E. Jr. of Douglas; three sisters, Susan Gregory of Sutton, and Donna Muldoon and Cheryl Becker both of Douglas; and numerous relatives and friends. Born in Brighton in 1956, he graduated from Brighton High School, and from Boston State University as a biology major. After graduation from Boston State, he worked for the Biology Department for over two decades as a laboratory technician. Ray was in charge of the laboratory portions of the Introductory Biology, and sophomore level, genetics courses. Biology technicians must have at least a bachelor’s degree in biology for this difficult position. It requires a lot of preparation time, as well as being available for interested students. Biology technicians are the most important part of undergraduate laboratory training in that they have to implement the laboratory-based goals of the instructor commensurate with the training of the new students. They have to use their knowledge as biologists to prepare buffers, collect specimens, set up enzyme-based assays, and keep interactive computer-based activities working.
Ray acquired all the materials, including living specimens, for the laboratories and set up the material for proper analysis. It is a difficult and sometimes tedious job to prepare the laboratories for students. He did his job well, and with a distinctive flourish. Ray worked well with students and made lifetime friendships with many of them.
His teaching and guidance have enabled thousands of students to be successful not only while they were at UMass Boston, but also in careers after graduation
Ray would work with all students, but especially with those who had took a special interest in biology. Students who had an insatiable desire to learn biology sought him out for advice. They counted on Ray to let them into the labs at all hours to work on their assignments.
The best of our students were always on a first name basis with Ray, and found him to be very supportive of their efforts to better understand complex biology problems.
He was the person there for all laboratory activities, and acted as a counselor, confidant, and educator to numerous members of the student body. Even after graduation, many of his former students would come back to UMass Boston in order to see and thank Ray for his help with their careers. He will be sorely missed as a colleague, friend, and educator.