Ray Schoenke

Early life

Born in Hawaii to Olivia Pualani Alapa, a full-blooded native Hawaiian and Raymond F. Schoenke, of German descent from Minnesota, who was stationed with the U.S. Army 3rd Engineering Corp, Schofield Barracks in Hawaii where he was an All-Star athlete on their baseball and basketball teams in the late 1920s and 1930s.

Schoenke's family moved to Texas when he was 10-13 years then returned to Hawaii, where he attended Punahou High School in Honolulu for grades 9-11 where he received recognition in football with an All-Star Award (the equivalent of all-State since Hawaii at the time was still a Territory). For his senior year in high school his family returned to Texas where he was an All-State football player for Weatherford High School. He accepted a scholarship to play for Southern Methodist University. At SMU, Schoenke was chosen as Sophomore Lineman of the Year (1960) and All-Southwest conference in both his junior and senior years (1961, 1962). He also received Academic All-American awards and All-American awards in his senior year. The University honored Schoenke by awarding the SMU "M" award - recognizing him as one of the most Distinguished Seniors to graduate in the class of 1963. Later, Schoenke was also named to SMU's 75th Anniversary All Time Football Team and received the Silver Anniversary Mustang Award from the SMU Letterman's Association, which honors the character and achievements of former athletes.

Professional career

Schoenke was drafted in the eleventh round of the 1963 NFL Draft by the Dallas Cowboys. He was waived injured from the team on August 8, 1965. In 1966 after being out of football for a year, he signed as a free agent with the Green Bay Packers, and was traded to the Cleveland Browns. He was released by the Browns and was signed by the Washington Redskins where he became an integral part of the team for the next 10 years.

In 1987, he was selected for the "50th Anniversary Greatest Redskins Team.” In 2002, Schoenke was picked as one of the top 100 players in the history of the Redskins. in 2015, he was inducted into the Polynesian Football Hall of Fame, which honors Polynesia'a greatest football players and contributors.

Schoenke began an insurance career in 1965 while playing professional football. He steadily built Schoenke & Associates into a national brokerage firm, later selling it to Clark Consulting Inc (NYSE: CLK) in 1998. At the time of the sale, Schoenke had established long standing business relationships with such clients as Norfolk and Southern Corporation, Marriott International Inc, Fannie Mae, Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation, Bank of Hawaii, Hawaiian Electric Industries Inc., First Hawaiian Bank, Baltimore Gas and Electric Company, MBNA Corporation, McCormick & Company, Inc. MCI Communications Corporation, Potomac Electric Power Company and Student Loan Marketing Association.

In 2013, Schoenke was inducted into the Montgomery County (MD) Business Hall of Fame, which honors a cross section of Montgomery County's extraordinary business leaders who have made a positive difference to their community.

Personal life

Throughout his NFL, business and post business career, Schoenke has been a community and political activist. He has served on several boards, associations, and commissions to improve health and welfare of communities. He played an instrumental role in the formation of the Special Olympics and was awarded the "Kennedy Family Awards" in recognition of that effort. He chaired his local citizens' association in Laytonsville, Md. in their efforts to preserve the health and safety of their well water.

Schoenke has maintained close ties with Hawaii, serving on the Board of Trustees of the Native Hawaiian Culture and Arts program of the Bishop Museum and Advisory Board of Kamehameha Schools. Both of these organizations are committed to the preservation and advancement of Hawaiian culture and Hawaiian youth.

Schoenke also worked and chaired committees for local, state and national political campaigns and was an integral figure in the campaigns of more than seven presidential candidates. He ran unsuccessfully as a Democrat for governor of Maryland in 1998.

As an avid outdoorsman and hunter, he served on the Maryland Governor's Commission on Gun Violence. His continued interest and advocacy in this arena led him to found the American Hunters and Shooters Association (AHSA) which supported responsible gun ownership in concert with laws that protect our community and conservation of our lands.

Schoenke has been married to Nancy Schoenke, also an SMU graduate, for more than 50 years. They have three children and six granddaughters. They live in Laytonsville, Md.