David Langdon Raish, September 29, 2022
Sam Weisman remembers Dave:
In the fall of 1965, my freshman counselor, Hardy Brereton, found out I was a musician. He asked me if I had an interest in joining one of Yale’s acapella groups. I had no idea what he was talking about.
He then spirited me off to the Music Room in Silliman College, where I was rushed into The Society of Orpheus and Bacchus, The SOB’s, a twist of fate that would change my life. One of my fellow neophytes was Dave Raish–impossibly tall, unbelievably quiet, and incredibly brilliant. I connected with him instantly, and for the next three years, Dave (musically) and I (organizationally) pushed to rebuild the group. Along with classmates Nat Adam, Roger Haile, Tom Jorde, and others, we ensured the SOB legacy, and the group thrives to this day.
Dave was a great mind, a great musician, and a great person. Possessed of perfect pitch, a pure tenor voice, and a passion for good work, he was an asset in every situation, always quietly taking charge, never raising his voice, or revealing how frustrating it might have been to deal with lesser musical talents.
In 1968, Dave became the first SOB to be tapped into The Whiffenpoofs since Chris Cooke in 196465, a well deserved honor, and a source of pride for all of us. They were a great group, and he was one of their greatest singers. Over the years we lost touch with each other. I regret that. Rest in peace, Dave.
From Michael Harrington
I was saddened to learn of the passing of Dave Raish. As freshmen we roomed in 240 Durfee Hall with Eugene Linden and Roger Haile. Dave and I shared a bedroom. Having arrived earlier, I claimed the bottom bunk in the bedroom. That may have been the only time during our freshman year that I came out better than Dave.
The Hawken School had prepared Dave for Yale much better than my small town West Texas high school had prepared me. While I was burdened with entry-level courses in all my subjects, Dave was sailing through third-semester Calculus and a French seminar conducted by Henri Peyre. A devout Catholic, Dave was up bright and early every Sunday morning to attend services, while this indifferent Methodist slept in. Blessed with perfect pitch, Dave joined the SOBs, a prelude to his singing with the Whiffs senior year. At the end of our first semester, Dave was on Dean’s List. In a word, Dave made Yale seem so easy.
I must have been the first Texan, perhaps the first Southerner, that Dave ever knew, because he kept a small notebook in which he recorded some of my parochial expressions. Far from making fun of me, Dave seemed pleased to room with a guy from an untraditional Yale background. For sure, Dave went out of his way multiple times to help me adjust to Yale life. For example, for Harvard weekend Dave set me up with a Smithie whom he knew from Cleveland. I wonder if she’s forgiven him yet?
Dave and I were also classmates at Harvard Law. By 1970, he was already married and lived off campus, so I saw little of Dave in Cambridge. Our legal careers overlapped for more than four decades, with Dave at Ropes & Gray in Boston and I at Vinson & Elkins in Houston, but they never intersected. Dave specialized in employee benefits law, and I in corporate finance. We spoke over the phone a couple times when I was working with one of Dave’s partners, but I never saw Dave face-toface after law school. Still I’m aware that Dave had a sterling career at Ropes & Gray. Scary smart, tall, handsome and genial, he was a natural for (what is nowadays called) Big Law.
The Whiffs put together this tribute:
From Wayne Willis: Do you remember the special CD that the Whiffs published for our 35th Reunion. I ripped it onto my iPod and played it frequently, especially enjoying Ralph Penner’s rich bass voice on “A Quiet Girl” and Dave’s perfect tenor in “One Minute More.” Listen!
from The Boston Globe
David Langdon Raish, age 75, of Little Compton, RI, passed away at home on September 29, 2022, surrounded by family after a long battle with Parkinson’s disease.
David was born on March 12, 1947, to Roslyn Skeels and John Raish. He grew up in Willoughby, OH, with his parents and sister, Jocelyn and graduated from the Hawken School in 1965. He then attended Yale University, where he sang with the Whiffenpoofs, the world’s oldest collegiate Acappella group. He graduated from Harvard Law School in 1973.
During college, he met his wife of more than 50 years, Roslyn, with whom he raised three children, David, Anne, and Julia. A devoted husband and father, his parenting years involved many coaching stints, camping trips, care for poorly behaved pets, exciting travels, and unwavering love and support for his children.
David was a highly accomplished attorney, spending his career at the law firm of Ropes & Gray LLP. He was head of the firm’s Employee Benefits Department for many years, and the focus of his work was with universities and health care organizations. He authored several books and publications in his area of expertise, sharing his knowledge with others, and his extraordinary intellect and sharp legal mind earned him many awards and much acclaim.
David was also a talented musician with a beautiful tenor voice. For 25 years, he was a member of the Tanglewood Festival Chorus, the official, all-volunteer chorus of the Boston Symphony Orchestra. During his tenure there, he sang dozens of major choral works and traveled with the chorus to sing in concerts in Japan and Hong Kong. A talented pianist, David filled his family’s home with music and exquisite piano playing.
David leaves behind his loving wife, his sister and her family, his three children and their partners, three grandchildren, 11 nephews and nieces, and many dear and lifelong friends. His extraordinary kindness and generous spirit will be deeply missed.
A Memorial Service will be held at a later date. In lieu of flowers, memorials are suggested to the Mass General Hospital Parkinson’s Lewy Body Fund (https://giving.massgeneral.org) or the New England Conservatory Scholarship Support program (https://necmusic.edu/giving/nec-fund). Fern Acres Funeral Home in LITTLE COMPTON, RI, is serving the family, and online condolences may be expressed at https://www.fernacresfuneralhome.com