Late Auto Dealer Honored By Time

Roy Raymond was posthumously named recipient of the 1997 Time Magazine Quality Dealer Award.

Raymond, who died with his wife, Verna Marie, in a Jan. 9 airplane crash near Detroit, was one of 63 car dealers nominated for the magazine’s annual award.

At the time of his death, Raymond was owner and president of the Roy Raymond Ford-Mitsubishi dealership in Twin Falls.

On Saturday, the Raymonds’ daughter, Emily, accepted the award announced by Jack Haire, publisher of Time magazine, at the National Automobile Dealers Association convention in Atlanta.

Sponsored in association with Goodyear, the program recognizes outstanding new car dealers for exceptional performance in their dealerships and distinguished community service.

Finalists were selected by a panel of faculty members from the University of Michigan graduate school of business administration. Time magazine will make an annual grant of scholarship funds in the name of Raymond to the business school.

Raymond was nominated by Denise Brennan, executive vice president of the Idaho Automobile Dealers Association.

Raymond purchased the Twin Falls dealership in 1980 and later added a Ford store in Buhl and Mitsubishi franchise in 1992.

Raymond’s community achievements include membership and leadership in the Rotary Club, Twin Falls Area Chamber of Commerce and Powell Country Club, according to a news release. He also was the chairman of a governor’s task force on Medicaid reform.

, DataTimes