Born to Frederic and Winnie Hurlbutt on February 5, 1899, Raymond grew up in the tiny village of Bishop Hill, Illinois. Upon graduating from Galva High School, he arrived at Knox in the fall of 1918. He immediately enlisted in the college’s S.A.T.C. (Student Army Training Corps), a precursor to the present-day R.O.T.C. (Reserve Officer Training Corps). Sadly, he caught pneumonia soon after and passed away in Cottage Hospital on October 24, 1918, just two weeks after coming to Knox. He is buried in the Galva cemetery.
