Charles V. Raymond, or Chip to his friends, passed away in Stamford Connecticut early Saturday morning, April 11, just shy of his 84th birthday. He is survived by his wife Jan; his sons Joshua and his wife Lisa, from Washington D.C., and Luke and his wife Briony, from Darien; and four grandchildren, Henry and Lucy (21), Rhys (12) and Vaughn (9).
Chip led an extraordinarily active life. He had a dynamic career of service to New York City and the world in government, non-profit management and foundations. He worked in senior positions for four New York City mayors including Mayors Lindsay, Beam, Koch and Dinkins. Early in his career he ran some of the first methadone maintenance programs in the country and helped reform the Willowbrook Psychiatric Hospital after a famous exposé was done by a young Geraldo Rivera on its abhorrent conditions. He finished his government career as the first ever Commissioner of the New York City Department of Homeless Services, addressing the City’s homeless crisis.
After leaving government, he became the first managing director of the New York City Ballet. He remained an active patron of the Ballet right up to the end of his life.
In the last 10 years of his career, he ran the Citigroup Foundation, where he helped provide seed funding for the first large-scale microfinance projects in some of the world’s poorest countries. Outside of work, Chip was an avid sailor and competed in the Newport Bermuda race, the Marblehead Bermuda race, the Halifax race and multiple Vineyard races. He competed nationally in the Soling and Tempest classes. He spent years racing at Noroton Yacht Club in J-24s and Sonars with his family and friends. In later years, he served on New York Yacht Club’s Model Committee, helping to maintain and restore the Club’s world-famous ship model collection. He also cruised his own boat with Jan between Noroton and Newport almost every summer. Through all of that, during the last 21 years, Chip remained primarily focused on his family and especially his four grandchildren.
Donations in his honor can be made to Bowery Residents’ Committee (BRC) (BRC.org). BRC is one of New York’s most effective providers of services to unhoused people, and Chip served on its board of directors.