Cooperative Living October 2018 - 14

Co-opPeople | by Mary Howell, Contributing Writer
'Ranger Ray,'
Musician of the Mountains
BARC Electric Cooperative member
serves his community through song.
F
or the past 40 years, Ray Blouin has
called the " rumpled old mountains " of
western Rockbridge County his home.
A dedicated photographer, he always has
a camera on hand, ready to capture nature's
often-fleeting beauty.
A folk musician who's performed since the
1950s, he combines traditional instruments,
including his 12-string guitar, " Gertrude, "
with self-penned lyrics that are by turns
playful and full of meaning.
And for patrons of the Maury River Senior
Center (MRSC) in Buena Vista, he serves as
music coordinator and leader of Mrs. C's
Pickers, Singers & Kickers, their name a
humorous take on the MRSC acronym.
Each month, this group of seniors
practices songs on different themes that
range from classic bluegrass, to songs of
the 1940s, '50s and '60s, to holiday tunes.
" We have up to 22 members at any time, "
Blouin says. " I encourage everyone to research
and suggest songs under that month's
theme, then during twice-weekly rehearsals,
we figure out the best 16 or so to perform
for everyone at MRSC at lunchtime on the
last Friday of the month. "
Blouin, who was MRSC's associate
director for several years before retiring
in 2007, explains that playing instruments
and singing is tremendously therapeutic,
rekindling memories and providing a social
outlet for Mrs. C's members and the fellow
seniors for whom they perform.
" Ray is a phenomenal musician and
excellent teacher, " says Laura Hotinger,
regional director for senior services in
Rockbridge and Bath counties. " He also
leads the MRSC group to visit local nursing
homes and bring the healing power of
music to those who need it most. "
What first drew this BARC Electric
Cooperative member to Virginia's Allegheny
Mountains, and how did his many-chaptered
career develop the talents he so generously
shares with his community?
" I grew up in a military family and
followed my father into the Coast Guard,
serving at duty stations around the world, "
12 | Cooperative Living | October 2018
Ray Blouin (front row, second from left) with
Mrs. C's Pickers, Singers & Kickers, whose
members perform a different musical theme
each month at the Maury River Senior Center.
Blouin explains. After two years of college,
studying forestry and geology, he and three
friends formed a successful folk-music band,
the Wayfarers. They signed a contract with
RCA Victor and produced several albums
between 1959 and 1965.
" We performed at colleges all over the
country, including venues in New York and
San Francisco, " Blouin recalls. A bandmate
began calling him " Ranger Ray " because he
loved to share his knowledge of the geology
and natural features of each state the band
visited. The nickname stuck and became part
of the Wayfarers' joking banter between songs.
In the mid-1960s, as Beatlemania swept
the public's musical tastes in a new direction,
the Wayfarers disbanded. Blouin went on
to serve in the Coast Guard Reserves while
completing his education, earning a
master's degree in economics.
In the late 1970s, traveling through
Southwest Virginia on the way to a job in
Charleston, South Carolina, he was struck by
the beauty of Virginia's mountains. When a
teaching and administrative position came
open at Dabney S. Lancaster Community
College (DSLCC) in Clifton Forge, Blouin
was quick to apply.
" Not only was this little college near
where I wanted to live, they were also
looking for someone to lead the formation
of a student-based musical group, " Blouin
explains. He got the job, directing the
student band, Sassafras, and serving as
DSLCC's admissions counselor and
teaching economics for more than 20 years.
During this time, Blouin met Joann and
fell in love. They married in 1983 and raised
five children, with Joann working as a math
teacher in the Rockbridge County Schools.
" Since we both had summers off, we took
our family camping and hiking across the
U.S. All of us fit in a four-man tent! " he said.
In the early 1990s, Blouin followed his
inner voice to accept a position with the
Rockbridge County Department of Social
Services, developing its Welfare to Work
and Fathers at Risk programs. Both were
quite successful, though later lost their
funding. " To this day, I still run across folks
who tell me how their lives benefited from
those programs, " he notes.
Shortly after he began working at MRSC
in 2001, Blouin launched Mrs. C's Pickers,
Singers & Kickers. " I soon realized music's
potential to stimulate neurons and help
ward off memory loss, " he explains.
During this time, he also convinced Joann
to lend her beautiful alto voice, joining him
at local performances. " We'd recently lost our
daughter Chadrenne to complications of
Lyme's disease, " Blouin says quietly. Making
music together helped ease his family's pain,
and he will include two songs written during
that time, " Why? " and " Listen to Your
Heart, " on his upcoming album, the 18th
of his music career.
These days, Blouin's recordings can be
heard on local radio station WREL. Together
with two friends who also have math/science
careers, he and Joann perform regularly as
B2+2, a band that in true folk-music fashion,
shares songs about relationships, social
commentary, faith, nature, patriotism
and humor.
" Our goal, " Blouin says, " is to make you
chuckle and give you food for thought! "
Here's hoping Blouin and his fellow
Members of Blouin's folk band B2+2
regularly perform at fundraising events in
the Lexington, Virginia, area. L-R: Tim
Hodges, Joann Blouin, Ray with his guitar,
" Gertrude, " and Barry Sullivan.
musicians will continue to feed their
community with memorable performances
for years to come.
To learn more about the Maury River Senior
Center and Mrs. C's concert schedule, visit
vpas.info/MRSC. 
co-opliving.com
BETH MARTIN PHOTOS
http://www.vpas.info/MRSC http://www.co-opliving.com
Cooperative Living October 2018

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