Ortali, Ray
DELMAR — Ray Ortali, 94, passed away on March 22, 2022, at his home. He was predeceased by his wife Helen.
Ray was born in the tiny French town of Thoirette, near the Swiss Alps, where he grew up above the grammar school run by his mother Juliette.
After earning a law degree in Dijon, he moved to Paris in the early 1950s, graduating from the Ecole des Sciences Politiques and reviewing manuscripts for the literary publishers Denoel. He soon became assistant chief editor of Jours de France, a large weekly magazine located on the Champs Elysees. Then came his "American adventure." After working a few months in Texas, he taught at the Army Language School in Monterey, Calif. That’s where he developed his passion for experimenting with new approaches in teaching French. Then came a Ph.D in Romance languages from the University of Michigan, with a concentration in 16th century poetry, which led to an appointment as assistant professor at Yale, as well as managing editor of the scholarly journal Yale French Studies. Ray returned to Paris for a year long sabbatical, where he wrote a French textbook as well as a critical edition of the Oeuvres Poetiques of the 17th century French poet Claude Malleville, that was awarded the prestigious Prexa la Grange by the French Academie des inscriptions et Belles Lettres.
He then moved to UAlbany, first as associate professor, then professor and chair of the French Department. Among his proudest achievements was his creation of an interdisciplinary program in medieval and created Prime Technologies, a high tech company that manufactured CD-Rom and DVDs for business in the capital region. He then discovered the UAlbany Emeritus Center, an organization designed to encourage retirees to pursue the University’s mission of teaching, research, and service. The Center later honored him "as a founding member," and recognized that his commitment and initiatives, innovation, and vision, have built a firm foundation for the Center’s future. In July 2014, his life took a new turn: Just like at the beginning of my career, I have become a publisher, this time of a monthly e-magazine called, We love, Films, & Company, which is attempting to do something that has never been done before, bringing together readers ,writers, publishers and distributors. It’s multifaceted, it’s interdisciplinary, it’s international and it’s fun. I would at this time wish to acknowledge my most loyal friends, Ken, Paul and Elisabeth.
A Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated Friday, March 25, at St. Thomas the Apostle Church in Delmar.