For generations of 91ֿ students, alumni, faculty and staff, there were certain places that felt like home.
was one of them.
And Charlie Thomas was one of the people who made it that way.
Thomas, the longtime owner of the iconic downtown Kent restaurant and bar and a 1974 91ֿ graduate, died Sept. 14. He was 81.
For more than 45 years, Thomas was the familiar face behind the bar at Ray’s, a place that became much more than a restaurant. It was a gathering place where 91ֿ students celebrated, alumni returned, community members crossed paths and generations of Golden Flashes came back to reconnect with the university and with one another.
“I am saddened by the recent passing of my father, Charles ‘Charlie’ Thomas,” said his son, Cameron Thomas, who owns The River Merchant in Kent. “He was my mentor, business partner and best buddy. Charlie was a cornerstone of the Kent community who believed in creating an environment where people felt welcome and respected. Ray’s Place embodied Charlie’s philosophy, and it is an honor to carry on that legacy. Charlie will forever live on in our memories yelling ‘Go Crazy,’ his signature line, which alludes to living life to the fullest.”
91ֿ Today reached out to members of the Kent and 91ֿ community, who shared memories of Charlie Thomas, the impact he made and his legacy.
“Charlie understood the special relationship between the city of Kent and 91ֿ, and Ray’s Place helped strengthen that connection,” said Jack Amrhein, mayor and president of council for the city of Kent and a 91ֿ graduate. “His warmth, humility, generosity and dedication to our community will be deeply missed.”
A Golden Flash Who Found His Place in Kent
Thomas arrived in Kent from Caldwell, Ohio, in the late 1960s to study business at 91ֿ. His college years were interrupted by military service in Vietnam from 1969 to 1971, but he returned to campus at age 26 determined to finish his degree.
“I loved 91ֿ. I couldn’t wait to get back here,” Thomas recalled in a 2023 91ֿ Today profile.
He earned his bachelor’s degree in marketing in 1974. After graduation, he worked at The Loft, another downtown Kent bar, while also selling stereo equipment.
Then came Ray’s.
In 1978, Thomas was sitting at the bar having a beer when he overheard one of the owners mention that the business was for sale. He began negotiating the next day. At 33, he became the fourth owner of Ray’s Place.
What followed was a remarkable run that would make Thomas one of the most recognizable figures in downtown Kent.
Ray’s had already been a Kent institution for decades when Thomas took over. The tavern opened in 1937, and over the years, its walls had absorbed countless stories from the Kent community. Thomas became the longest-serving owner, spending nearly half a century making his own mark on the place while preserving what made it special.
“Charlie was an excellent restaurateur who understood and enhanced Ray’s Place as a friendly downtown restaurant where one went to meet old friends and make new ones over tasty food and beverage,” said David Dix, former publisher of the Record-Courier. “He was a kind man with a big heart, always treating employees and customers well. He will be missed and fondly remembered by all who came to know him.”
Thomas understood that Ray’s appeal wasn’t simply about the food, the beer or the familiar surroundings.
It was about people.
The Bar, the Chili, the Welcome
Thomas often heard from returning alumni that Ray’s seemed almost unchanged from their college days. The wooden bar remained. Gerty’s Homemade Chili remained. The atmosphere remained.
But perhaps the most important constant was the way people felt when they walked through the door.
In the 2023 91ֿ Today story, Thomas described his approach to running Ray’s in simple terms: “Ray’s equals the customers plus the employees plus the physical plant.”
He also understood the importance of adapting while maintaining the character of the place. Over the years, he expanded the food operation, changed the upstairs space and became an early champion of a wider selection of imported and craft beers.
For Mike Beder, owner and partner of several Kent businesses and a 91ֿ graduate, the appreciation for Ray’s began when he was a 91ֿ student.
“Like most students, I was a Ray’s devotee, but at some point, that devotion was because of the way the place operated and my budding interest in entrepreneurship and hospitality,” Beder said.
Beder remembers that when he was considering opening his own bar in 2000, Thomas sat down with him for nearly two hours and answered his questions.
“I can only imagine how many other students he did this for,” Beder said. “I still remember a lot of what he shared that day and principles of integrity that still guide my decision-making.”
Beder also remembers a much simpler milestone: the first time he went to Ray’s and Thomas bought him a beer.
“It was a milestone event for me,” Beder said. “I was a peer of this person I admired. I was in.”
A Place Where 91ֿ and Kent Came Together
Perhaps Thomas’ greatest legacy was the role he played in connecting the university and the city.
Ray’s was a place where students and longtime Kent residents could share a table. Faculty and staff could run into community leaders. Alumni could return years later and feel as though they had never left.
Dana Lawless-Andric, 91ֿ’s senior associate vice president for university outreach and engagement and a 91ֿ graduate, said it’s the people who make Kent special — and Thomas was one of the most special.
“Charlie was the heartbeat of Ray’s,” she said. “He always took a few minutes to respond to any email I would send out to the community, with well wishes and lots of exclamation points. This is what I think of when I think of Charlie — someone who led a life full of exclamation points and someone who will be dearly missed.”
Beder believes that intersection between the university and city is central to understanding Thomas’ impact.
“Charlie single-handedly kept downtown alive and relevant for quite some time in my opinion,” Beder said.
Howard Boyle, chairman of Hometown Bank, who knew Thomas for more than 50 years, agreed.
“I never saw him that he wasn’t smiling and happy,” Boyle said. “I know he was a great promoter of Kent and its business district, so much so that I don’t think downtown Kent would be what it is if it weren’t for his tremendous support. So many times he was there to encourage and support new projects that some people thought were not possible. With his help, we accomplished so much. I will personally miss that great smile and soft encouragement.”
Ray’s, Beder said, was as important to the 91ֿ experience as many of the university’s more traditional landmarks.
“Ask people what they think of first when they think of 91ֿ, and the answer is overwhelmingly ‘Ray’s Place,’” Beder said.
For Heather Malarcik, executive director of and a 91ֿ graduate, Thomas was also an important part of the community of downtown business owners working to make Kent a vibrant place.
“Charlie always made us feel appreciated for the work we do for our city,” Malarcik said. “I loved that he’d pick up the phone just to check in, and that laugh always made my day. He’d say, ‘Hey buddy,’ not because he didn’t remember our names, but because that’s how he made you feel.”
Malarcik said Thomas was a strong supporter of Main Street Kent, regularly opening Ray’s doors to the organization, participating in downtown activities and contributing to the close-knit business community.
“We already miss him and are so grateful for the gathering place, the laughter and the crazy character he brought to Kent,” she said.
“Charlie was the perfect example of what Kent is,” said Dennis Campbell, executive director of the . “From his commitment to the community, his impact on the university, to his serving and mentoring of others, Charlie did it all and did it with a smile and an open heart.”
Giving Back to the Students Who Helped Build Ray’s
Thomas never forgot what it was like to be a 91ֿ student working to pay his way through college.
Over the years, he employed hundreds of 91ֿ students at Ray’s. In 2014, he established the Ray’s Place Entrepreneurship Scholarship to support 91ֿ students who were working to pay for their own education.
The scholarship was one of the ways Thomas gave back to the university community that had been so important to his own life.
But his generosity extended well beyond 91ֿ.
Tom Larkin, superintendent of Kent City Schools, said Thomas was a pillar of the Kent community who cared deeply about the people who called the city home.
“Charlie cared deeply about the people of Kent and the Kent community as a whole. Many will never realize how Charlie quietly and humbly gave back to Kent,” Larkin said. “Thank you, Charlie. We will miss you.”
That generosity was part of a larger willingness to help people, whether they were students looking for advice, fellow business owners seeking a sounding board or community members in need.
Mark Frisone, executive director of Axess Family Services, said Thomas was a longtime donor to Kent charities, including Kent Social Services, and couldn’t stand to see people in the community go hungry.
“His willingness to jump in when the call to service was issued will be deeply missed,” Frisone said. “Over the years, many a Kent family had a happier holiday because of Charlie’s generosity.”
One year, Frisone recalled, Axess was running low on turkeys ahead of Thanksgiving. Thomas showed up in his old white van, opened the rear doors and a mountain of frozen turkeys came cascading out.
“It was a sight to see,” Frisone said. “Rest in peace, my friend.”
A Legacy Measured in People
Thomas once said he never really thought about being Ray’s longest-serving owner.
“I still don’t think about that. I really don’t dwell on it. I’m just glad to be here doing this,” he said.
Those who knew him remember someone who set high standards while treating people fairly.
“No one who worked with Charlie had a bad thing to say about him,” Beder said. “Even people that were let go will take blame for whatever happened. He expected a standard but was always fair and a lot of fun.”
“I always had said that Charlie is the consummate business person in the city of Kent,” said Kent attorney John Flynn. “No one took care of their customers like Charlie did.”
For Adam Poluga, owner of Dominick’s in Kent, that kindness extended across the downtown business community. Poluga knew Thomas for more than 30 years and remembers him not simply as a leader and pillar of the community, but as a friend.
I never saw him without a smile,” Poluga said. “His work ethic, kindness, generosity along with a fantastic personality made him an inspiration for all.
Poluga said Thomas’ door was always open when he needed advice, and he will miss the conversations and the times Thomas would simply “pop his head in to say hello.”
“When you work in this industry for so long, you don’t have owners and employees,” Poluga said. “You have family and friends.”
Mike Kostensky, owner of Mike’s Place, similarly remembered Thomas for the way he welcomed the people who came through his doors.
“Charlie was an amazing person and did so much for the community,” Kostensky wrote in a Facebook tribute. “Remember about all the people that he talked to and made feel at home and comfortable in his amazing restaurant and bar!”
“Charlie made Ray’s what it is today!” Kostensky wrote.
Thomas understood that a business is ultimately built by people. His people were the faces behind the bar, the students working their way through college, the alumni returning home and the friends who knew they could always find a familiar welcome at Ray’s.
“It’s my life, and I love it,” Thomas said in 2023 when asked about retirement.
Beder remembers Thomas as someone who understood that he was a steward of something larger than himself.
“Charlie always saw himself as the steward of Ray’s Place, and he’d love nothing more than for Ray’s legacy to continue and knowing that he built it into what it is and will always be,” Beder said.
Thomas’ passing leaves “a huge hole in the fiber of downtown,” Beder said.
For nearly five decades, he gave Kent and 91ֿ a place to gather, remember, celebrate and simply be together.
Ray’s Place will remain.
So will the stories.
And so will the legacy of Charlie Thomas, a Golden Flash who became an enduring part of the community he loved.
