The late James Widener Ray was a man of many passions. A talented artist, musician and skier he descended from one of the country's wealthiest families. His Capitol Hill mansion was filled with art from around the world. He was an expert and devoted yachtsman, also a man who funded his own charitable organization.
Ray also suffered from severe mental illness but, unlike many, his financial resources allowed for the kind of treatment many can only dream of. A staff of 10 tended to his needs and wishes. He received the best possible medical care.
But when he died suddenly last Oct. 9 at age 53, his passing left his large estate in limbo. Perhaps playing out like a TV miniseries or airport novel, his death has led to a legal battle over that estate. Key to its conclusion will be determining which of two wills accurately reflects the wishes of a man worth $78 million.
When Ray died, his last will and testament, which dated from Jan. 19, 1998, left his entire estate to the Raynier Institute and Foundation, the charitable organization he established in 1994. A period of probate followed, as is standard practice. By law, the will could be contested until Feb. 10, 2006.
On Feb. 9, Joan Ray, James' sister, filed a petition contesting the will. She claimed that a will James Widener Ray signed in 1975, one unknown to those who knew Ray in Seattle, was the valid document. She claimed that the more recent will was made under the duress of his caregivers. The 30-year-old will, which Ray had never mentioned, left his estate to Joan Ray and her son.
This suit set in motion a legal battle that has left the future of Ray's estate as well as his foundation in limbo.
Money
The family's vast wealth had its beginnings nearly 150 years ago with Peter A. B. Widener, a Philadelphia butcher. He made his fortune by landing a contract to provide meat to the Union Army during the Civil War. He led what became the wealthiest family in Philadelphia and gained vast holdings, including a lucrative expansion into rail lines. At one point he was regarded as the 20th richest man in the United States.
His sons George and Joseph became avid art collectors, in time making a major donation as part of the founding of the National Gallery in Washington, D.C. Family business interests included investing in the White Star line, the company that built the Titanic. That association became both personal and tragic when George and his son Harry Elkins Widener died on Titanic's maiden voyage in 1912. The Widener Library at Harvard University is named after Harry Elkins Widener, himself an avid book collector.
James Widener Ray, whose mother was Joseph Widener's great granddaughter, was born in 1952; his father, James Ray, was a World War II fighter pilot and an ardent conservative who counted Curtis LeMay among his friends. Born in 1952, Ray spent the first part of his youth in a large ranch near Bozeman, Mont. (the range was later sold to former media mogul Ted Turner), but the family moved a great deal and traveled often. Ray had a half-brother, Eustace Paine, who died in 1988, and a half-sister, Liedy Samson, who is no longer in touch with the family. His sister Joan Ray currently lives in Ketchum, Idaho. Ray's mother died in 1988; his father is still alive and living in Florida.
Ray was not a good student and had a hard time dealing with a rigid and disciplined father. He also suffered from bi-polar disorder, an as-yet undiagnosed condition that grew more severe over time, one not helped when he was sent to private military schools. Also problematic to the family dynamic: James Widener Ray was gay, something that incurred profound disapproval from his father, a man Ray didn't see during the last two decades of his life.
When Ray turned 20 he came into his first inheritance and he moved to Telluride, Colorado, then a small town and a place he loved throughout his life. But the combination of freedom, a great deal of money and his growing and untreated bi-polar disorder led to a great deal of drug and alcohol abuse. He burned through his first trust fund and spent most of the '70s in a chaotic state, including several stays in mental institutions.
By 1983, the family chose to send him to Seattle and Harborview Medical Center for treatment. By then in his 30s, he managed to legally separate himself from his family and hired a guardian to manage his trust fund. He was paid a healthy allowance from that fund, one which varied over the years, but he did not directly oversee its management.
His bi-polar condition was also being treated as well. But unlike most who suffer from a serious mental illness, Ray had great resources to devote to his treatment. A large staff tended to his personal and medical needs. In 1989, Brad Trenary, a social worker then working at Harborview, was hired to oversee Ray's care, a job he held until Ray died last fall.
Ray's condition varied a great deal. There were periods of stability and calm, and also periods of great manic episodes, which included numerous relapses into drug and alcohol abuse. He was by no means homebound, in fact was overtly social and at times overly generous. Continuing something of a family legacy, Ray was an avid art and book collector himself. As a musician and painter he often devoted himself to artistic pursuits. And, despite being seriously overweight, he was an expert skier, one who in earlier years might have competed for a place on the U.S. ski team had his early life turned out differently.
Along with a serious mental illness, Ray had other physical ailments, including diabetes. He was overweight, smoked and did not get any regular exercise. His death, Trenary said, was a shock, certainly, but not a surprise.
Official charity
The Raynier Institute and Foundation, a legal nonprofit organization, was established in 1994. It was formed following the closure of the Eagle Eye, an art gallery Ray operated in the Loveless Building near the north end of Broadway. It was set up to provide him with a project that could occupy his energy as well as his passions. Ray funded the organization annually from the large family trust that provided for the rest of his life, but he had no direct financial control over it.
"It was set up to make sure that Jim couldn't benefit financially from anything he funded," said Trenary, who later, with some reluctance, became one of the foundation's three board members.
Starting slowly at first, the foundation donated money to musicians, artists, animal rights organizations and various youth groups, among others. The yearly donations, funded by Ray's trust, amounted to roughly $25,000 in its first year, grew to more than $322,000 in 2004 and has donated more than $3 million to date. Raynier does not accept unsolicited grants, and some of the recipients were the result of Ray's often whimsical choices.
Among many groups receiving Raynier largesse, Ray often favored Capitol Hill-based organizations. Peace for the Streets by Kids on the Streets, a local homeless youth advocacy group, received some funding, for instances, as did Lambert House, the Richard Hugo House and the Street Outreach Services Tea Cart, which will open this weekend in Cal Anderson Park. Other Seattle recipients include the Experience Music Project, Allied Arts and PAWS.
Uncertain future
There is no question the scale of the organization would change dramatically with Ray's huge bequest, which includes the recent sale of his house. Located at 1700 17th Avenue East, his former home, at 3.68 acres occupies the largest single family lot in the city, while the house itself, originally built in 1938, has six bedrooms and nearly 7,000 square feet of living space. Originally listed for $3.8 million, it sold last month for $6 million.
His possessions have been dispersed and his art collection has been sold. Many of his books were donated to the Seattle Museum of the Mysteries on Broadway, which named its library in his honor. Musical instruments went to various youth groups. His art supplies were donated to the Cornish College of the Arts.
Joan Ray's lawsuit contends that those who managed her brother's care, including Trenary and Ed Gardner, who was his legal guardian, took advantage of his mental condition to leave everything to the foundation for their own gain.
The notion is one Trenary deeply disputes. By way of one example, he said that at Ray's funeral, Joan Ray came up to him and thanked him "for giving Jim 10 more years of life than we thought he would have."
Trenary said that those who knew Ray were aware of how much he loved Seattle and Capitol Hill, and how he wanted his foundation to continue the work it was doing. Were the money to revert back into the greater Widener family's hands, one of James Widener Ray's stated goals would be lost. The foundation's Web site, www.raynier.org, makes mention of the legal challenge Joan Ray has made to the will. Trenary said the foundation is largely on hold until the litigation is resolved.
"The hope is to ensure Jim's legacy and vision. We do feel we knew him best, because, over the years, years when he had limited contact with his family, we did," said Trenary.
Reached at her home in Idaho and asked why she is pursuing a challenge to her late brother's will, Joan Ray declined to comment, saying she could not speak about the case or the will until the legal issues have concluded.
Just when that might be is anyone's guess. On March 24, a court ruling agreed that the 1998 will was valid and should stand. It came as no surprise that Joan Ray is appealing the decision to the Washington state Superior Court. A trial date should be set by the end of June. With the resources available to the family, it's possible, even likely, that the legal battle could take years.
Doug Schwartz is the editor of the Capitol Hill Times. He can be reached at editor@capitolhilltimes.com or 461-1308.[[In-content Ad]]
