Feburary 29, 2008
In Memorial -- M. Ray Karnes

M. Ray Karnes, a national leader in industrial education, vocational and technical education, and higher education administration, passed away on February 23, 2008. Dr. Karnes was a faculty member at the University of Illinois and served as Chair of the Industrial Education Department and its successor, the Department of Vocational and Technical Education. After his retirement from the University of Illinois, Dr. Karnes became a professor at the University of Southern Mississippi, serving in this capacity until his second retirement. He also served in the U.S. Army during World War II and was an instructor and assistant director of the instructor-training department at the Armored School of Fort Knox, Kentucky. He earned his bachelors and master's degrees at the University of North Texas and has been recognized as an Outstanding Alumni at North Texas. He received his doctorate from the University of Missouri, Columbia.

Dr. Karnes had a major impact on many aspects of vocational and technical education. When the University of Illinois initiated a USAID funded program to establish an agricultural college in Sierra Leone, West Africa, Dr. Karnes became its Chief of Party, serving for three years until the school was fully operational. In 1959-1960 Dr. Karnes served as President of the American Industrial Arts Association. Dr. Karnes was also instrumental in the founding of Parkland College in Champaign.

He co-authored a book on tests and measurement in 1950 with Bud Micheels of the University of Minnesota. This book, “Measuring Educational Achievement,” was a continuation their work at Fort Knox, Kentucky during WW II. This book became the gold standard in tests and measurement for several years.

Dr. Karnes advised many doctoral students, including Rudy Lockette (EdD in 1955) who may have been the first African-Americans to earn a doctorate in Industrial Education. His advisees include graduates who became university presidents (e.g., Nelson Grote), university deans (e.g., Victor Sullivan, Lloyd Nelson), vice presidents, department chairs (e.g., Jerry Moss, Rudy Lockette), and presidents of community colleges and technical institutes. Many of his advisees also became faculty at doctoral granting universities, including Purdue, Penn State, Minnesota, Ohio State, and Illinois.

Memorials may be made to Dr. Frances A. Karnes Endowed Chair at The University of Southern Mississippi or to the Karnes Bryant Scholarship of the University of North Texas. Additionally, both Ray and Frances previously established the M. Ray and Frances Karnes Scholarship in memory of Christopher Karnes, at the College of Education, University of Illinois, for graduate students pursuing careers in human resource education.

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