J. Raymond Stuart, of Garden City, who was in charge of the Commodities Dept. at E.F. Hutton Co., Inc. from 1953 to 1970 and a member of every major commodities exchange prior to the formation of the Chicago Board Options Exchange, died on Jan. 18, 1998 at Indian River Memorial Hospital near his home in Vero Beach, FL. He was 88.

Mr. Stuart was born on March 10, 1909, in Youngtown, OH and was raised on a farm near Calgary, Alberta, Canada and in Roswell, NM. He earned BS and MA degrees from the University of New Mexico in 1930 and 1932, respectively. While working as chief accountant and business manager for the University of New Mexico, he was responsible for the university's purchase of more than 2,000 acres of land adjacent to the proposed Albuquerque Airport at auction for $3 per acre. The UNM stadium, tennis courts and golf course were later built on part of that land. Mr. Stuart earned an MBA in finance at Harvard Business School in 1939.

Following his graduation from Harvard, Mr. Stuart had a 35 year career at E.F. Hutton specializing in commodities. He became a general partner of E.F. Hutton in 1953 and a vice president in 1962 when the firm incorporated. He retired as vice president and assistant to the president in 1972 but served as a consultant to the firm until 1974. His high ethical standards and knowledge of the industry were well known on Wall Street.

Mr. Stuart served as director (1955-72) and president (1960-61) of the Commodity Exchange, Inc., chairman of the board of the New York Cotton Exchange (1967-69), as a director of the New York Cocoa Exchange (1965-68) and as a member of the New York Mercantile Exchange and the New York Produce Exchange. He was president of the Harvard Business School Club of New York (1955-56) and the Commodity club of New York (1957-58). During WWII he was chief of the Warehouse Branch of the Steel Division of the War Production Board. He conceived, developed and administered the program for distributing steel products under a priorities system through all US jobbers and warehouses.

Mr. Stuart was a 37 year resident of Garden City (1950-1987, spending summers there from 1987-1997), where he embarked upon a second career as a community volunteer after his retirement in 1974. He served as trustee of the Village of Garden City from 1977-86 and as recreation commissioner and fire commissioner. As the commissioner of finance, he served as the chief fiscal and finance officer of the village board. He was a past president of the Garden City's Eastern Property Owners Association and president of the Garden City Community Fund in 1965. He was a trustee of the Garden City Community Church. The Garden City Chamber of Commerce named him its Citizen of the Year in 1986.

After he became a resident of Vero Beach, FL in 1987, Mr. Stuart resumed his work as a community volunteer. He conceived of and initiated a Missions Board Endowment Fund at the Community Church of Vero Beach which supports local charities. He was named to the Indian River County, Florida Committee of 100, an organization of business people who devise programs to attract new businesses and residents to Indian River County.

Mr. Stuart is survived by his wife of 50 years, Marion Cotins Stuart; his sister Annabelle S. Schwer of Hilton Head, SC; his daughters Pamela B. Stuart, an attorney in Washington, DC, Catherine Stuart Ryan, MD, of Summit, NJ and Deborah A. Stuart, an environmental planner in Seattle, WA; his son-in-law Edward Ryan; and his granddaughter Christine E. Ryan.

Services were held at the Community Church of Vero Beach on Jan. 21. The family has requested that in lieu of flowers donations be made to the Missions Endowment Fund of the Community Church, c/o the Community Church of Vero Beach.