The director of the Ray Reece Foundation is Sandra J. McCrory.
A graduate of St. Edward’s University with a degree in Computer Systems Management, Sandy brings a lifetime of experience as an administrator, website developer and events manager to the Ray Reece Foundation.
Sandy first came to know Ray in 2007 through her role as office manager for Ruta Maya Organic Coffee. Ray had selected the now closed Ruta Maya Coffee House as the location for the launch of his novel, “Abigail in Gangland.” That first chat between Ray and Sandy over a cup of coffee was the beginning of a sustaining friendship.
Like Ray Reece, Sandy came to Austin to attend the University of Texas and Austin immediately became her hometown. According to Sandy, she only had one goal when she graduated from high school in Houston, Texas in 1976 – to move to Austin. To Sandy, Austin was a hippie Disneyland in the Hill Country. There was Barton Springs, Lake Travis and all the cosmic cowboys down at the Armadillo World Headquarters. Her first home in Austin was on the top floor of Dobie Mall with a view of the capitol. The drinking age was 18 and there were cold cheap pitchers of beer in the Texas Union on the UT campus. Downtown Austin may have been deserted after dark, but it was easy to climb the back fence at Barton Springs for a midnight swim.
As time went on, Sandy started a family business and raised two sons in Austin. It was as a mother that she began work as a community volunteer. Sandy’s community service highlights include organizing a benefit that raised $15,000 to defray long-term medical expenses for three year old child in treatment for Childhood Leukemia; designing multi-media websites that are accessible to everyone, including people with disabilities, as part of a three person team in a web design competition associated with South by Southwest Interactive Festival; and writing a grant that resulted in two years funding of after-school activities and tutoring at Akins High School.
Today, Sandy is a full time employee of Foundation Communities, a non-profit providing affordable housing in Austin. The opportunity to be Director of the Ray Reece Environmental Journalism Foundation is a responsibility that she is happy to fulfill for her friend, Ray Reece.
