By Gene Robbins, Managing Editor
Former state senator Raymond H. Bateman died Saturday morning at Morristown Memorial Hospital after a short illness..
His son, state senator Christopher “Kip” Bateman, “with great sorrow” announced the passing.
Raymond Bateman was born in Somerville on Oct. 29, 1927. He served for two decades in the New Jersey Legislature, including stints as Assistant Majority Leader and Majority Leader in the General Assembly, and as Assistant Majority Leader, Majority Leader and President of the Senate.
He ran as the Republican candidate for governor in 1977 in a race won by Brendan Byrne.
“My father embodied everything that a public servant should be,” said Sen. Bateman. “He was always interested in helping others, and he instilled in me the belief that public service matters. He set an extremely high standard for all of us who follow.”
“He also was dedicated to his family, and we always came first. His loss will be immense, but we couldn’t be prouder of the life he lived and happier about the time we had with him. Thank you to everyone who has reached out to us.”
Prominent political leaders added their words of condolence and praise for Mr. Bateman’s accomplishments.
“Ray Bateman was one the preeminent leaders of New Jersey in the second half of the Twentieth Century,” said Congressman Leonard Lance. “He was a legislator’s legislator and his tremendous positive effect on the state is virtually incalculable. His children, including State Senator Kip Bateman, and his grandchildren should be enormously proud of the life of this distinguished public servant.”
State Sen. Thomas Kean Jr., who also grew up in a political family as the son of a governor, said, “When it came to public service, Senator Ray Bateman was a giant. He was one of the people that I admired most growing up in a family that followed a similar path. He’s someone that many of us who serve now try to emulate.
Assembly Republican Leader Jon Bramnick said, “Senator Bateman’s name is synonymous with ‘civility’ and he had a sterling reputation within the Republican Party and throughout New Jersey. We will miss him.”
Mr. Bateman served for four decades on the Board of Trustees of Raritan Valley College Community College, which serves Hunterdon and Somerset counties and is New Jersey’s first bi-county community college. Paul J. Hirsch, fellow member of the Board of Trustees, called hm “the driving force behind the law creating the community college system in New Jersey.”
Robert Wise, the current chairman of the board at RVCC, called Mr. Bateman “an inspirational leader and beloved friend” and “the heart and soul of Raritan Valley Community College, guiding the college from its infancy to become a nationally recognized institution of higher learning.
Mr. Bateman served 26 years as chairman of the board, where he was “tirelessly advocating for academic excellence, affordable tuition, state-of-art facilities and diversity on campus,” said Mr. Wise.
“Ray’s influence extended far beyond RVCC,” he continued. “His vision and drive led to the creation of the community college system in New Jersey, opening up access to higher education to hundreds of thousands of individuals.”
Mr. Wise said Mr. Bateman’s contributions to RVCC included leading the construction of the theater, planetarium, conference center, child care center, science center and West Building; promoting diversity on campus; and championing the necessity of keeping higher education affordable for our students.
“Ray Bateman loved RVCC,” said Mr. Wise. “He could be seen on campus early in the morning walking on the track with his dog and late into the evening attending theater performances, community events or student activities.”
Last year the school named its new Center for Student Life and Leadership after Mr. Bateman.
