Distinguished Alumni Award

Ray Lawson may hold the record for the longest-serving teacher in Michigan, after 58 years of teaching an estimated 18,000 students.

After graduating with a bachelor's degree in English and history from CMU in 1940, he taught for a brief period at Pewamo Schools. Since then, except for serving in the military during World War II, Ray has taught high school English full time for nearly six decades at Rochester High School. Ray has been chairman of the school's English department since

1948, and has served on virtually every curricular committee at the school.

Countless CMU alumni have had the opportunity to learn from Lawson, and they speak of their experiences in his classroom with warmth and fondness.

He was past president of the Michigan Education Association and the Michigan Interscholastic Press Association. During his tenure on the MEA, Ray oversaw the implementation of collective bargaining for teachers.

Ray continues to work with the Michigan Department of Education as a member of the State Writing Committee, the MEAP Writing Assessment Committee, and the State Advisory Committee for Basic Skills.

He received the PTA Educational Service Award and the RARE Award for Excellence in the Workplace. In 2002, the Michigan Council of Teachers of English named him the inaugural recipient of the Ray H. Lawson Excellence in Teaching Award.