Raymond W. Tucker, Jr.

Inducted 2024

 

Ray grew up in Bayside, New York City. He attended the Colonial Church of Bayside where he installed the church sound system and maintained the three manual Rogers electronic church organ during his teens.  When the Colonial Church started the Colonial Players theatrical group he started his technical theatre work by designing and building the sound and lighting system for the church’s gym/theatre using donated parts.  Although he had small roles in many musicals, including My Fair Lady where he met his wife, technical theatre was his true passion.

 

He received a Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering from Stevens Institute of Technology, Hoboken, NJ in 1973.  Ray’s summer jobs during high school and college involved installation of projection and sound equipment for small 35mm theatres – including a “home theatre” for comedian Chuck McCann.  At Stevens Tech he was the head projectionist for three years of the Student Council Movie Committee, which showed B run movies to entertain students in the primarily men’s residential college.

 

Ray came to Rome courtesy of the Air Force ROTC at Stevens.  When his children became involved in SummerStage at the Capitol Theatre he designed the lighting and sound for shows and often ran both from 2005 to the present.  He planned and oversaw the installation of the theatre’s 1600 amp electrical service entrance and advised on the technical aspects of SummerStage productions.  Ray became a member of the Capitol Theatre’s Board of Directors, a past President and Technical Director, and Chairman of the Facilities committee.  He also helped oversee the Capitol Theatre’s New York State Downtown Revitalization project.

 

After 35 years of military and civilian service, he retired as a Senior Member of the Technical Staff, Information Directorate, Air Force Research Laboratory, Rome, NY, where he participated in research and development in satellite communication, smart weapon system guidance, and intelligence reconnaissance activities.  Ray is a Session Member and former Trustee of the First Presbyterian Church of Rome and head of the Building and Grounds Committee.  From COVID to the present day, he oversees the weekly audio and video recording, and streaming of church services at the First Presbyterian Church in Rome.

 

Of the many responsibilities of a Technical Director the most important are those that affect the actors and their performance.  After months of rehearsal by the actors, it is the Tech Director’s job to make them look and sound their best for the audience.