Ray Perryman, BS '74
Medal of Service for Business and Commerce
It took only one exam for economics department chair Jim Truitt to recognize the immense mathematical giftedness of Ray Perryman. And Ray credits Dr. Truitt and mathematics professor Vivienne Malone-Mayes for igniting in him a passion for numbers. Ray entered Baylor as a National Merit Scholar who was also the first male in his family to graduate from high school. He has translated his gift with complex statistics into an active career in teaching, created a robust research organization, and developed a trusted international consulting group.
Ray has led more than one thousand three hundred impact and public policy studies including a study that helped propel the state of Texas to the forefront of new business development. Considering challenges to the Big 12 Conference, Ray conducted an influential study that calculated the substantial negative economic impact on the state if the conference collapsed. He also enjoys the opportunity to serve his alma mater and recently led a study on the economic boon Baylor Stadium will begin in the region. Ray has been nominated for the Nobel Prize in Economics and in 2012 was named Texan of the Year by the Texas Legislative Conference. Ray predicts a very bright future for Baylor University and that is indeed high praise.