John L. Ray, a pillar of the billboard industry in West Virginia and surrounding states, died on August 17. He was 94.
“John Ray made so many contributions to protecting the outdoor advertising industry over the past 75 years,” said Wade Leslie, president of West Virginia Outdoor based in Charleston. “His passion was protecting property rights.”
Ray formed Kanawha Valley Advertising Co. in 1949, which now has 1,400+ faces in West Virginia, Ohio, Kentucky, and Maryland.
Ray was active and generous in his community, supporting institutions such as the Charleston Area Medical Center (CAMC) Foundation.
He was a key, effective advocate for billboards as President Lyndon Johnson and Congress considered the Highway Beatification Act of 1965 (HBA). Senator Jennings Randolph of West Virginia introduced the legislation in the Senate, making important changes to the bill.
Congressional Quarterly gives this account: “Just before the Senate began floor consideration, the White House submitted five amendments to the committee version which were then offered on the floor by bill manager Jennings Randolph (D-WV) and accepted by the Senate.”These amendments would:
- Permit withholding of 10 percent (instead of 100 percent) of the federal-aid highway funds to which a state was entitled, if it failed to provide for effective outdoor advertising controls. Voice vote.
- Authorize compensation of those affected by the Act’s requirements for removal of outdoor advertising or for landscaping, screening or removal of junkyards on a flat 75 percent federal-25 percent state basis (instead of on a 90–10 basis for Interstate highways and a 50–50 basis for other federal-aid highways). Voice vote.
- Permit outdoor advertising whose size, lighting and space were determined by agreement between the states and the Secretary of Commerce within areas adjacent to the Interstate and primary systems which were zoned industrial or commercial by state law or in unzoned commercial or industrial areas determined by agreement by the Secretary and the states. Roll call vote, 44–40.
President Lyndon B Johnson signing the Highway Beautification Act. Senator Jennings Randolph is at Mrs Johnson’s right. Senator Daniel Inouye is behind the President. Photo from LBJ Library.[wpforms id=”9787″]
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