“It
was a fork in the road, my way out of rural Virginia” was how Ray
described the Glastonbury ABC program he attended 30 years ago. Ray A
Blackwell, born May 15, 1958, came to Glastonbury through the national A
Better Chance program in 1974 and graduated from Glastonbury High School in
1976. While at GHS he ran
indoor and outdoor track and assembled an impressive academic record.
After
completing an undergraduate degree at Dartmouth College in 1980 he entered
the medical field and started working at the New England Deaconess Hospital
in Boston. He went back to
school and earned his medical degree from Dartmouth Medical School (along
with his wife, Dr. Wanda Francis-Blackwell, a child and adolescent
psychiatrist) in 1987.
Dr.
Blackwell completed his general surgery training at Beth Israel Medical
Center, New York City and his cardiothoracic training at Emory University in
Atlanta, Georgia. Upon completion of his postgraduate education, Dr. Blackwell
moved to Philadelphia. He held appointments at Presbyterian Medical Center,
Allegheny University and Thomas Jefferson University. Dr. Blackwell is a member of several medical societies and is
the main author of several articles. He remains active in the community and
has served as a regional interviewer for Dartmouth College and Dartmouth
Medical School. In addition, he was a board member of the Ascent Foundation,
a non profit organization dedicated to helping inner city children in New
York City and was an assistant coach for a girls track team in Philadelphia.
Dr.
Ray Blackwell’s main hobby is running. He has competed for several track
clubs, filmed an Olympic promotional commercial and has won multiple
national masters track championships. He is currently the national masters
champion at 400 meters and the 400 meter hurdles.
Ray
attributes at least part of his success to the chance he received through
the Glastonbury ABC program; “It was a beautiful experience and a great
program.” Ray and Wanda have
a beautiful family of 3 daughters, amazing careers and excellent health –
they have been truly blessed.
