A Remarkable Life: Dr. E. Raymond Borun (1918-2026)

I’m standing with Dr. Raymond Borun and his wonderful wife Ruth in Ruth’s internationally recognized English garden.

Dr. Borun in his 100s one of his “conditioning” walks with granddaughter Rose and assistant William.

This past week, my dear friend and orchestra sponsor Dr. Raymond Borun passed away. At age 107 and a half! Mentally sharp as a tack to the end. Dr. Borun and his wife Ruth were the first and most significant supporters of the Los Angeles Youth Orchestra since we began in year 2000. After Ruth passed away, the Borun Foundation awarded LAYO a naming gift of $500,000 that created our intermediate Ruth Borun Concert Orchestra. The Borun Foundation still continues to support LAYO and Dr. Borun attended our concerts through his 90s! I would like to tell you more about him.

Dr. Borun was one of the very first cardiologists at UCLA in the 1940s. In his 50s he became an avid mountain hiker, bagging 100 peaks in the Sierra Club and eventually hiking up to Mt. Everest Base Camp! His father started Thrifty Drug Stores, which became the largest pharmacy on the West Coast until they were sold to Rite Aid and later to CVS. Thrifty’s was famous for its ice cream, with its distinctive cylindrical ice cream scoops. After his own father passed away, Dr. Borun managed the family foundation, awarding grants primarily in the area of medicine (specifically gerontology) as well as sponsoring medical speakers and lecturers at UCLA. The Foundation also supported environmental causes. Dr. Borun supported his wife Ruth in her award-winning English garden at their home in Brentwood. It has been internationally recognized for its elegance and beauty. I think my youth orchestra is the only music group the Borun Foundation supports and that’s because Dr. Borun’s wife Ruth was delighted with the talent, discipline, and politeness of our students.

Dr. Borun was my friend since year 2000 when we traveled to Israel together, each of us for the first time. He was a young 81 years old then. In Haifa, the Israeli navy gave a special tour of a submarine and Dr. Borun was one of the few in the group spry enough to climb down the steep tiny steps! (He was also decades older than anyone else in that group!) That trip sparked in him a deep love for Israel. He revisited many times, each time with a different goal. Once he took a helicopter to a remote village, where experienced the customs of the oldest Jewish tribe, the Samaritans. He was delighted to witness the ancient biblical practice they continue to this day, when they ritually sacrifice 40 sheep and goats for Passover. The October 7 massacre in Israel by Hamas affected him deeply. Even at 107, he was organizing events for hostage survivors to come to the United States and share their experiences at an event at USC.

For me, Dr. Borun was a piece of living history. His memory and observation were keen. He could cite specific events during the time of President Franklin Roosevelt or President Truman far more vividly than what I could read in books. He visited Italy during the time of Mussolini. In the early 1940s he saw Charles Lindbergh speak to a packed crowd at the Hollywood Bowl. preaching America First. His long view of history always made for memorable conversations. Our politics were often at odds and we argued with passion and with mutual respect. I learned so much by listening to him and learning to question all my assumptions. Rigorously!

He once took me hiking in the San Gabriel Mountains. I did my best to keep up. Several times I stopped to look at the beautiful view. He said, “Don’t do that. It’s not important. This is about conditioning!” That cracked me up, but he really meant it. Motion was his key to life and health. He regularly hiked all through his 80s up to mid 90s. Then he did regular walks at the beach with a grad student to make sure he didn’t fall. Then in his 100s he walked around his garden with a walker. Finally, he had a treadmill regimen with an assistant to keep tabs on him. His discipline amazed me. It was the same discipline we musicians build in our daily practice and studies. That discipline not only helped keep him alive so long, it helped keep his mind sharp. It was an honor to know Ray Borun. I’m really going to miss him. If you’ve read this, then I’m glad you know a little bit about him.