INSIDE THE JULY 2022 ISSUE: Moonshot Innovators Honored p. 3 NAU Creates Performance Center for Athletes p. 4 Insurance Protecting Ranchers from Lack of Rain p. 6
Sowing Seeds
Early Flagstaff physician’s gift continues to cultivate educational dreams
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By Bonnie Stevens, FBN
n the tranquility of a late spring Flagstaff morning, Dr. Ralph Oliver Raymond would walk the land and and toss out dandelion seeds. “He wanted to make sure there were plenty of dandelions so that those who didn’t have a lot of money could pick them and receive nutrients from the tea they could make from the stems,” said long-time Flagstaff resident Billy Cordasco.
Dr. Raymond, by all accounts, was a quiet, deeply caring family doctor who raised sheep, had a great love for the land and wanted people to succeed in life. “When it was snowing, Dr. Raymond would take beans and rice to neighborhoods where people needed food,” said retired South Beaver School teacher Mike Cromer. Sarah Cromer, a retired school teacher who taught at South Beaver and the Church of The Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, says Dr.
Raymond quietly went about his business and helped people where he could. “He wanted them to eat properly, take care of their bodies and he stressed education. He was just a unique and wonderful human being who understood that education levels the playing field.”
GROWING OPPORTUNITY
In 1952, Dr. Raymond founded the Raymond Educational Foundation. He asked trusted friends to oversee it.
Colt Grill Features Traditional Smokehouse BBQ p. 10 Community Profile: James Cornelius Getting Camp Verde Bike-Ready p. 12 Scenic Arizona Gondola Open for Summer p. 16
“One of his friends, Dr. Eldon Bills, an orthodontist, served as president of the Foundation for a long time. He deserves a great deal of credit for managing and growing the funds,” said long-time Flagstaff resident Mark McCullough. As a result, the Foundation has been able to pour more than five million dollars into scholarships for students to attend Northern Arizona University, Coconino Community College and trade schools. “What he did with the FoundaContinued on page 42
Inventor’s HeetShield May Soon Protect Space Deliveries and Firefighters Steve Miller is testing his high-tech thermal insulation material in NACET labs By Bonnie Stevens, FBN
Steve Miller, a mechanical engineer and founder of HeetShield, is further developing his science technologies material in the Moonshot at NACET lab. Photo by V. Ronnie Tierney, Fresh Focuses Photography
July 2022 | Issue 7 Volume 15
W
hatever NASA wants to deliver to a planet or a moon from space – whether it is medicine, robots, experiments or humans – HeetShield founder and CEO Steve Miller is engineering a protective thermal insulation product that can wrap around it. He is testing his science technologies material now in Moonshot at NACET’s laboratory on McMillan Mesa.
His patent-pending material has the attention of the Forest Service as well. This month, as wildfires rage across the West, the entrepreneurial innovator is developing a better fire shelter, one he hopes can withstand high heat 20% longer than those being used on the fire lines today. “We have two materials that are more efficient than what’s currently available,” said Miller. “They are both in the neighborhood of half Continued on page 37
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