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 Raymond Carl Houghton Jr.
May 30, 2007
Raymond Carl Houghton Jr., 60, of Delmar, N.Y., formerly of Pittsfield, died Wednesday at St. Peter's Hospice Inn in Albany, N.Y.
Born in Greenfield on May 26, 1947, he lived throughout New England in his early years and was a graduate of Pittsfield High School in 1965 and Norwich University in 1969 with a bachelor's degree mathematics.
He served as second lieutenant with the 101st Airborne Field Artillery during the Vietnam War from Oct. 13, 1971, to Oct. 12, 1972. He was decorated with the National Defense Service Medal, Vietnam Campaign Medal, Vietnam Service Medal, Air Medal, Army Commendation Medal, Bronze Star and Purple Heart.
Upon discharge he received a master's degree in computer science from George Washington University in 1975 and a master's degree in electrical engineering from Johns Hopkins in 1980 while working as an analyst and project leader for the National Security Agency and National Bureau of Standards in Maryland. He completed his doctorate in computer science at Duke University in Durham, N.C., in 1991.
He was associate professor at Augusta (Ga.) State University in the mid-1980s to early 1990s. He served as adjunct lecturer at Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. In 1995 he opened Cyberhaus, a computer learning center in Delmar, N.Y. Previously, he worked as a programmer for General Electric in Pittsfield.
He wrote several award-winning Revolutionary War travel books and hosted tours and talks on the subject. In 2005 he became town historian for the Town of Bethlehem, N.Y., and was a columnist for "Our Towne" newsletter. He was a featured author of "In the Beginning: Tecollections of Software Pioneers."
He was also a People to People Ambassador to China, Vietnam and Cambodia.
He and his wife, the former Jan Laws, were married Sept. 22, 1973.
Besides his wife, he leaves a son, Raymond James Houghton of Philadelphia; two daughters, April Houghton Blakeslee of Pittsfield, N.H., and Amy Houghton of Kalamazoo, Mich.; two brothers, Jerry Houghton of Billerica and Scott Houghton of Simsbury, Conn.; a sister, Theresa Houghton of Las Vegas; and a grandson.
FUNERAL NOTICE -- The funeral for Raymond Carl Houghton Jr., who died Wednesday, May 30, 2007, will be held at 10 a.m. on Saturday at First Lutheran Church, 181 Western Ave. (Between N. Lake Ave. and Quail St.), Albany, N.Y. Burial will be at 1 p.m. on Monday at Massachusetts National Cemetery in Bourne.
Relatives and friends are invited to call tomorrow from 4 to 8 p.m. at APPLEBEE FUNERAL HOME, 403 Kenwood Ave., Delmar, N.Y. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Delmar Rescue Squad, 145 Adams St., Delmar, NY 12054. During his time in New York he began to pursue his interest in history, specifically the Revolutionary War. His recollections included creating possibly the first e-mail in the 1960s coming about from a complicated scheme to talk to a girlfriend at Colby Junior College by taking advantage of a remote connection hosted by Dartmouth College. He made arguably the world's finest sugar-free sweet potato pie.
He also leaves a son-in-law, Michael Blakeslee, and a grandson, Westley James Blakeslee; as well as numerous nephews and nieces. He had honors from the Department of Commerce, was consistently listed in Who's Who in America, and was a Bethlehem Middle School mentor. He built and maintained several community Web sites, including Feestelijik Bethlehem and sat on a committee that brought about the Bethlehem Veteran's Memorial.
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