Biography Ray Burnett
Membership Number: 40068Biography
I met Ray Burnett on January 27, 2006, while attending my very first NCRS meet. On the advice of another NCRS member with whom I had established a long-distance email correspondence, I had trailered a 1955 Corvette that I just purchased three weeks earlier to Kissimmee, Florida for something called “Flight Judging.” I was told it would be the “best money I ever spent” because I’d receive a detailed list of everything that was wrong with the car -- which unfortunately turned out to be quite a lot. About half an hour before the judging was to commence, I noticed a guy doing some last minute polishing on an old Corvette parked two cars away on the judging field. He apparently noticed me too, as I was frantically thrashing about trying to open my car’s trunk lid, which was stuck shut. This other owner came over, introduced himself as “Ray,” and offered to help. After fiddling with the trunk lid about 10 minutes, we finally got it open – and in the process managed to rip out the inner fiberglass holding the bottom latch. New acquaintance Ray was absolutely mortified. Judging was about to begin, and we had just torn a hole in my car’s trunk liner. I was much less concerned than Ray, because after all I was just there to get a list of fixables, and this would be one more thing to add to the tally.
Over the course of the day, Ray wandered over to my car a few more times to see how things were going. I think he sensed that I had no clue how this “judging thing” typically worked, as he gently chastised me for pointing out to the judges flaws in my car’s interior that they had somehow missed (“That’s their job!”). By the end of the day, one of the judges somewhat sheepishly delivered to me what was apparently bad news – something called a “Third Flight.” The judge diplomatically suggested that, if I was going to “go the NCRS route,” perhaps I should just sell this car and start over with something more original. Ray, who was standing nearby at the time, could sense my palpable disappointment, and in what I would come to understand was a signature Ray Burnett move, intervened and rather forcefully disagreed with the NCRS judge’s assessment. Not only could my car eventually earn a “Top Flight,” he declared, it could even achieve a “Duntov Award” (whatever that was) with a lot of hard work (and as it turned out, money). Moreover, since we were both from Tampa, Florida, Ray expressed a willingness even to come over from time to time to help me out with input and advice. I later heard that one of the NCRS judges commented that day, “The new ’55 owner won’t be back.” But I actually left the meet thinking, if all these NCRS folks are like this Ray fellow, I’m in!
Thus began a friendship that lasted for almost fifteen years. Ray’s initial offer of mere advice soon morphed into full-blown, hands-on, knuckle-busting restoration help that Ray undertook with such fervor that it was like the car was his own. For almost a year, he arrived dutifully at my house every Saturday and Sunday morning and worked literally all day helping to reconstruct and reassemble my car that, by now, had been stripped to the frame and torn down into a thoursand pieces. On the days that we weren’t working on the car, we visited car shows and the occasional flea market shopping for parts. I soon came to find out that Ray was not helping just me. During weekdays while I was at work, Ray was oftentimes at other friends’ garages or shops helping them to restore their vintage Corvettes. All told, Ray helped to restore a ’53, another ’55, a ’57, a ’58, a ’60, three ’62s, a ’65, and a ‘66, all of which ultimately earned Top Flight Awards. Ray never asked a penny for his services, and in fact, refused to accept pay even when it was offered to him. He obviously just enjoyed working on vintage Corvettes and considered the intrinsic reward of seeing a old junker returned to its original, pristine condition to be compensation enough.
Ray’s love of cars reportedly started when he was very young. He and his brother would work on old jalopies, rebuilding their engines, fine-tuning their handling, and occasonally engaging in a real world, non-scripted version of “street outlaws.” All the while, Ray longed to own a Corvette, preferably a 1957 fuel-injected version, because that particular car marked the pinnacle of automotive performance during Ray’s formative years. But Ray’s youthful desire to own a high performance Corvette would have to wait because he was soon starting up a new family with then-wife, Dianne. When daughter, Rebecca, and son, Ben, joined the clan, acquisition of his dream car would have to be pushed off even further. But Ray didn’t mind a bit, because family was always first and foremost with him – he was always there for them. Besides, Ray was able to partially scratch his Corvette inch by investing in the meantime in a big block C-3. (But he ultimately decided to sell it when he became concerned that his wife – who was reportedly laden with a somewhat heavy foot – might spin it out with one of his kids on-board!)
Like so many other Corvette enthusiasts, Ray’s interest in Corvettes was coupled with a fascination with flying airplanes. Ray signed on for aviation training with the Air National Guard in the early ‘60’s, and upon completion of that stint, applied in 1965 to become a pilot with Delta Airlines. Ray would fly with Delta for the next 34 years, racking up tens of thousands of flight hours and ultimately ascending to the title of International Captain flying the Boeing 777. His aviation career took him literally around the globe, flying to almost every major European capital and to airports in the Pacific and Far East. He reveled in telling stories about landing during bad weather at some of the world’s tightest runways, including the famed old Hong Kong “Kai Tak” airport that forced pilots to maneuver steeply, just above the roofs of a heavily populated city, before banking hard right and then slamming on the brakes to avoid ending up in the water.
After retiring from Delta in 1999, Ray began looking for something fun to do, but also something productive. He was never one to lounge around and disdained the idea of taking up golf, commenting that although he had time on his hands, he had no time for “chasing around a little white ball.” He finally settled on returning to his childhood passion – vintage Corvettes. He joined the Sun 'n Fun Vettes and the Tampa Bay Vettes clubs in Tampa. By this time, Ray could finally afford one of these rare beauties, and he initially invested in an almost completely original ’66 Corvette. After showing the car at a local NCRS Chapter Meet, he got up the courage to consider driving the car all the way from Tampa to the NCRS National Meet being held that year in Windsor, Canada. He and his NCRS buddy, Jim Ranahan, ended up completing the trek and receiving not only a Top Flight Award, but also the award that year for driving a judged car the greatest distance to the meet. That trip began an annual ritual of Ray and Jim always traveling together to the NCRS National Meet, a tradition that they would carry on without interruption from 2004 until 2019.
Ray was not afraid to speak his mind, whether it involved old cars, national affairs, or NCRS politics. He was also passionate about the cars he helped restore, so if a judge made what Ray considered to be a questionable call, Ray was more than prepared to “call” him or her out on it. For that reason, he might have ruffled a few feathers from time to time. But at base … at heart, Ray was a solid, honest, and loyal straight-shooter who could absolutely always be relied on in a pinch. Need to borrow a car trailer, call Ray … he’ll lend you his. Need help loading a car, call Ray … he’ll be happy to come right over. Need a special tool, call Ray … he’s probably got it and will gladly lend it to you. Need an honest opinion on whether what you’re doing will pass NCRS muster, call Ray … he’ll tell you what everybody else is thinking, but won’t say.
Ray eventually was able to finally indulge his childhood fantasy of acquiring a ’57 fuelie. With the help of fellow NCRS member, Ralph Ridge, Ray was able to locate a car in Colorado that, while needing some work, amazingly still retained its original engine and transmission. Over the course of a couple of years, Ray was able to return the car to its original glory, earning him the coveted Duntov Award at the 2007 NCRS National held in Boston. And although Ray never really made it a point to accumulate NCRS judging points, he had attended so many NCRS Regional and National Meets by the time of his Duntov Award that he received the famed NCRS red “Master Judge” hat almost as an afterthought without really even trying.
Unfortunately, Ray won’t be able to make it to this coming year’s National. He passed on November 15 after a year of failing health. He will be remembered as a dedicated family man, a truly exceptional and professional pilot, a passionate Corvette enthusiast, a sometimes feisty advocate, and a steadfast and loyal friend. There are “givers” and there are “takers” in this life. Ray Burnett was decidedly a “giver.” He gave unselfishly of his time, his knowledge, his resources, and his talent, which was considerable. He will be sorely missed by his family, his friends, his NCRS breathren, and by me.
Mike Hooker (NCRS 42966)
Join Year: 2003
Deceased Date: 11-15-2020
Achieved Flight Judging Car Award(s):
1966 Corvette: Flight Judging Award (Second Flight) at Mission Hills FL (Chapter) in 2003
1966 Corvette: Flight Judging Award (Top Flight) at Windsor ON Canada (National) in 2004
1966 Corvette: Flight Judging Award (Second Flight) at Orlando FL (Regional) in 2004
1966 Corvette: Longest Driven Award at Windsor ON Canada in 2004
1957 Corvette: Flight Judging Award (Top Flight) at Kissimmee FL (Regional) in 2006
1957 Corvette: Duntov Award at Marlborough MA in 2007
1957 Corvette: Flight Judging Award (Top Flight) at Charlotte NC (Regional) in 2007
1957 Corvette: Flight Judging Award (Top Flight) at Marlborough MA (National) in 2007
1957 Corvette: Performance Verification Award at Kissimmee FL in 2007
1966 Corvette: Flight Judging Award (Top Flight) at 2015 Howie Fl Chapter Fall Meet (Chapter) at 11-21-2015
Achieved Judging Award(s):
Level 100 Master Judge, Red Hat
Flight Judging Points: 174