Such Beautiful Pictures… of Ray Wishart
BY SARAH HOUGH AND DR. DAN FINLEY PHOTOS BY RAY WISHART
There is a story from India about three blind men and an elephant. The parable relates that a king had asked the men to describe the animal that they could not see. One man felt the trunk and said that it felt like a tree branch. Another man felt a leg and said that it felt like a pillar. The third man felt the tail and said that it felt like a rope.
While each man told the truth, each of their truths was incomplete and missed the full truth. Knowing Ray Wishart is much like the parable of the blind men and the elephant. Some know Ray as the remarkable photography teacher of many years at Mosley High School. Others know Ray by his dazzling photographs. To students and their parents, Ray is a dedicated teacher. Others know him as the deacon at St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church and leader of its Pub Theology Ministry. Lastly, his family and neighbors know him as a family man who dotes on his wife, daughters and grandchildren.
Ray fell in love with his wife, Diane Pinke, when he met her as a student at the University of West Florida in Pensacola. After graduating with a bachelor’s degree in 1976, Ray moved to Bay County to begin his teaching career. Diane, a teacher at Mowat Middle School, loves to quilt and enjoys her exotic birds. They have two daughters. Rachelle, married to Don Hundley, is the mother of Ray and Diane’s two grandchildren, Hayden, 2 years, and Hendrix, 3 months. Ray and Diane’s youngest daughter, Rebekah, is following in her parents’ footsteps as a teacher.
Ray’s love for photography dates to his high school days. According to Ray, “My favorite part of high school was being the kid with the camera. This was long before everyone had a camera/cell phone with them, so having my own 35mm camera and a darkroom at home made me a little different. I spent a lot of my school time either taking photos or sneaking off into the school darkroom to develop them. Living in Washington, D.C., during some very interesting years of Civil Rights and Vietnam War protests made for some great photo opportunities.”
At Mosley High School, Ray originally taught drafting. A new principal approached him about teaching video production. In this class, his students produced a live morning show and a five-minute news magazine that earned national awards and recognition. According to Ray, “I loved being around those students, they were hard workers and very creative.” Later he began teaching a photographic class titled, the “Advanced Placement Studio Art 2D”. It is now the largest photography program in this region.
Ray speaks reflectively, “I love being in the classroom with students. Teenagers are so creative and fun to work with. It never ceases to amaze me what they can do. It’s not just the academic work that they do, but also what they do outside of class. So many are involved in athletics, church groups, and other volunteer organizations. I’ve seen our students raise thousands of dollars for various causes, gather toys and other supplies, tutor other students, and sometimes just stand up to support a cause. It really humbles me to work with them.”
In his spare time, Ray has his camera, shooting landscape or nature photographs. According to Ray, “I love to take sunrise photos, but sunsets also grab my attention. People forget what great wildlife photo opportunities await us at St. Andrews State Park. About five years ago, I was exposed to kayaking, which has since become my favorite thing to do on nice days. Some days it all comes together with my family in kayaks, at sunrise, taking photos of wildlife. Life doesn’t get much better than that!”
After moving to Panama City Ray and Diane joined Holy Nativity Episcopal Church. During that time, Ray began the “Education for Ministry” program, a four-year program of study through the University of the South, School of Theology. One night he was asked if he had considered the priesthood. After much soul-searching and discussion, he still couldn’t decide what to do – go to seminary to be a priest, go to School for Deacons to be a deacon, or ignore all of it.
Each year, Ray and Diane, together with other chaperones, take around 40 to 48 students on a trip to New York City. A typical day would involve visiting Central Park, a boat ride around Manhattan, touring China Town, Little Italy, and Times Square and, in the evening, taking in a Broadway play. On an annual trip to New York City, they attended the services at St. Paul’s Chapel near Ground Zero. The priest talked in his sermon about Jesus on the road to Emmaus talking to people. This hit a cord with Ray, especially as some students said that sounded like him, walking around the city and talking with people. This made his calling very clear. If he became a deacon, he could continue teaching full-time. After returning home, he visited with Bishop Philip Duncan, met with several committees, and completed medical and criminal background checks. In January 2009, he began an intensive two-year program to become
ordained as a deacon, a huge commitment of time and money, but an even bigger commitment of support from his family.
Ray became a deacon in the Episcopal faith in 2011. The role of deacon in the Episcopal Church is different than that of deacons in other churches. To become a deacon, Ray studied for the ministry for seven years; all for a job that pays nothing. He was ordained and currently serves St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church. According to Ray: “Deacons are intended to take the church to the people, and the people to the church.” One of his ministries, “Pub Theology,” is held each Monday at 6 p.m. at a local restaurant. Here, he shares the Gospel in a casual atmosphere with people from the community and church, and whoever joins the group.
Ray Wishart will retire from teaching at the end of the 2016 school year after 40 years in the classroom. Ray says: “I don’t regret a minute of it, and will greatly miss being in the classroom. On the other hand, it’s time for me to move on in my life. Education is changing and not all of it I agree with. I don’t want to be that guy that always talks about how great it used to be.”
[author image=”https://www.panamacityliving.com/media/2015/01/Sarah-Hough.jpg” ]Sarah moved from Michigan to the Panama City area in 1985 . She is an avid traveler, having visited more than 20 countries in the last 10 years . Instead of getting shorter, her bucket list keeps getting longer as she finds more and more places to visit . Sarah is a dedicated volunteer with Guardian ad Litem . Much of her leisure time is spent quilting . She serves also on the Gulf Coast State College Education Encore Advisory Council .[/author]
[author image=”https://www.panamacityliving.com/media/2015/01/Daniel-Finley-.jpg” ]Dr. Daniel Finley is an award-winning health science professor at Gulf Coast State College. Since moving here in 1992, he actively participates in community service and has leadership positions with the American Cancer Society, BASIC, and March of Dimes. Dr. Finley is also a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and the Visual Arts Center of Northwest Florida. He is active in the St. Andrews Episcopal Church and is a father of two. Dan enjoys walking, cooking, and ballroom dancing.[/author]