There's only one Ray

[sirandrew]

Wilford "Crazy Ray" Jones died this morning at the age of 75.  Never was there a truer and more devoted fan of the Dallas Cowboys.  As far as I'm concerned he's the true mascot of Dallas (Forget Rowdy).  Ray was a fixture in Dallas for 44 years, always there for the fans and the kids, ready to entertain.  I remember fondly when I celebrated by 6th birthday with a magical trip to the sidelines in Texas Stadium.  I don't remember any of the players that day (except vaguely Danny White) or any of the coaches.  The one memory I have was Crazy Ray, picking me up and giving me a hug, and presenting me with the Atary 2600 game "Chopper Command", wishing me a happy birthday.  It was one of the coolest moments of my childhood.  I doubt I'm the only kid that grew up around the Cowboys that can say that.  

You'll be missed Ray.  

Edit: I was sitting here trying to remember things back in 1983, and I kept wondering why I was remembering getting the gift for Ray for my birthday when my birthday is obviously not during football season.  Now that I think back, I remember that it was my step-sister Laura Shipman's  birthday (The daughter of my real father's second wife).  I don't quite remember why it was that I got the gift, but I remember that she and her brother Matt were with me.  This was when I was on visitation with my Biological Father, and we'd almost been banned from going to the game because Matt and Laura had convinced me to run through sprinklers that were going off in my father's front yard.  Fortunately begging was sucessful in averting that disaster.  Anyway, I just thought that was interesting. 

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[fireriven.livejournal.com]

He will be. ::hugs::