A monthly publication of the Winston Rayne Hall of Antiquities
Monday, 29 November 1999 - SPECIAL
We mourn. Requiescat
in Pace:
Derek Rayne
It is with profound sadness that the Winston Rayne Hall of Antiquities announces the death of its Executive Director and founder, Dr. Derek Rayne, who perished on the night of 12 November 1999.
In recent days, there has been much media speculation regarding the circumstances surrounding the explosion and fire that engulfed Angel Island on that tragic night. Although his remains have never been found, the Marin County Coroner will issue a death certificate today in the name of Derek Rayne. The cause of death will be listed as an act of suicide, committed while under extreme emotional duress.
This organization and its parent, the Luna Foundation, consider these to be scurrilous and slanderous allegations. Evidence and information about the tragedy continues to be collected. We believe that it will ultimately exonerate Dr. Rayne of any wrong doing or mental instability, and we assure all who cared about this kind and honorable man that we will continue to do our utmost to see that he recieves the recognition he so amply deserves.
In the meantime, we feel that it behooves us to remind all of our friends, contributors, volunteers, and visitors of the accomplishments of the Derek Rayne we knew.
* * * Derek Rayne was a brilliant, generous, energetic man, filled with an unwavering determination to do what he thought was right and to make a difference in this world. Although born to privilege, his life was not an easy one.
At the age of fifteen, while accompanying his father, archaeologist Winston Rayne, on an expedition to an isolated region of Peru, he witnessed his father's tragic demise. Afterwards, this untested boy struggled, alone and afoot, for two weeks, through seventy-five kilometers of rugged terrain, to reach the remotest outpost of civilization.
Under the guidance of a Board of Trustees, he then assumed the burden of the Luna Foundation, while at the same time continuing his studies in Switzerland, and later at Oxford and elsewhere. In the best tradition of a true Renaissance man, his zeal for learning ultimately earned him Ph.D.s in Anthropology and Theology, as well as recognition as an accomplished pianist.
Throughout his life Derek Rayne devoted himself to the expansion of knowledge and the exploration of the unknown. He spent countless hours and enormous sums of his own fortune to found this museum as a tribute to his father and to make such knowledge and discoveries available to the academic world and to the public in general. In doing so, he created a world-class repository and center for the cross-cultural study of antiquities and folklore, as well as artifacts that have an intrinsic value in their own uniqueness. We are sure the Winston Rayne Hall of Antiquities will continue to be a jewel in San Francisco's cultural crown for many years to come.
During his tenure as Chairman of the Luna Foundation, this gifted man expanded its coffers a hundredfold and diversified its charitable interests far beyond his father's original goal of preserving archaeological sites and ancient artifacts and texts. Today, the foundation funds not only scientific and historical investigation, but religious institutions, medical research facilities, libraries, the arts, food banks, substance abuse programs, and homeless shelters.
Dr. Rayne's firm, concise mind, determined spirit, and generous soul will be much missed. We wish to assure all that this institution will do its utmost to follow in the footsteps of its founder, and we wish to remind all that, as Derek, himself, so often said, "For every darkness, there is light; for every evil, there is good. God is, indeed, in his Heaven," and we know with absolute certainty that our dear friend, Derek Rayne, has earned a place by his side.
In lieu of flowers, Mrs. Barbara Rayne and Sr. Ingrid Rayne suggest a contribution in the name of Derek Rayne be made to a charity of the donor's own choice. An announcement regarding memorial services will be forthcoming within the next few days.
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