The King
Mr. Henry Barnes Ray, Jr.
Reigning over this year’s 56th Beaux Arts Krewe Ball is his Royal Highness, Henry Barnes Ray, junior. King Henry is a native of Sylacauga, Alabama, and the son of Henry Barnes Ray, senior, and Lola Vann Pollard Ray. He has been a resident of Birmingham for 52 years and has enjoyed his membership in the Krewe for over 25 years. King Henry graduated high school from The Webb School in Bell Buckle, Tennessee, and continued his education in Tuscaloosa where he graduated from the University of Alabama. He then received his Juris Doctorate degree from Cumberland School of Law in Birmingham.
After graduation, he finished Officer Candidate School at Fort Benning, Georgia. The magic began in 1970 when King Henry married Lady Carolyn Smith McDavid. They moved to Fort Knox, Kentucky, where he finished the Armor School and later moved to Fort Campbell, Kentucky, where he was assigned to the Judge Advocate General’s (JAG) Corps. Once back in Birmingham, Henry entered the real estate industry and formed Ray and Company in 1976. After several mergers and acquisitions, Ray and Poynor was formed and is one of the premier real estate companies in the south.
His Majesty and Lady Carolyn have two sons, Henry Barnes Ray III and Webster McDavid Ray. Barnes and his wife, Margaret Seibels Ray, have two daughters, Margaret Leary Ray and Laurie Price Ray. They are thrilled to be train bearers tonight for their grandfather who they affectionately call “Doo Dah”. Barnes is participating as one of his father’s Dukes and Webster is Guardian of His Majesty’s Royal Box.
King Henry has had a very active professional and civic life. He is on the Board of the Alabama Association of Realtors, having also served as past President. He is currently on the Board of the National Association of Realtors and was Vice President. He has been named Realtor of the Year, and is a recipient of the prestigious Distinguished Service Award from the National Association of Realtors. King Henry serves on the UAB School of Nursing Board of Visitors, the Birmingham Historical Society Board, the Parkinson’s Association of Alabama Board, and the Kirkwood Board of Directors. He also serves on the Magic Moments Advisory Board, and the St. Vincent’s Foundation Advisory Board. King Henry was a board member and past President of the Birmingham Botanical Gardens. He also served on the Metro YMCA Board, the Summit Club Board, and the Echo Foundation. He is a member of the Rotary Club of Birmingham, the Country Club of Birmingham, Mountain Brook Club, and the Willow Point Country Club.
Henry and Carolyn are very active members of Independent Presbyterian Church where he serves as a Deacon and Elder, and Carolyn serves as a Deacon and a member of The Guild. When King Henry is not enjoying his time at Lake Martin with friends and family, he might be found watching Alabama football or bird hunting and shooting clays at Five Star Preserve.
King Henry thanks the Beaux Arts Krewe for the privilege to serve as their 56th King. It is an honor to share the throne with Queen Alice. The Royal family thanks the many volunteers who work to make this special evening possible and for the Krewe’s continued support to the Birmingham Museum of Art.
The Queen
Alice Alden Monk
Queen Alice is a junior at Southern Methodist University(SMU) in the Cox School of Business majoring in Finance with a concentration in Real Estate. She earned her Texas Sales Agent License in 2022 in addition to completing a summer program at the London School of Economics. Alice is an active member of Kappa Kappa Gamma Sorority, the Women in Business Club, and the Real Estate Club at SMU. She is a recipient of the Cox Nancy Moses Scholarship and the Second Century Scholarship.
A graduate of Mountain Brook High School, Alice was a member of Leadership Mountain Brook and helped develop the idea and raised funds to build the community’s first dog park. A lifelong member of Independent Presbyterian Church, she served as an acolyte and a volunteer with the STAIR reading program. Alice discovered her passion for travel after spending several summers exploring the world with Moondance Adventures, including summiting Mount Kilimanjaro.
Queen Alice is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Richard Hunley Monk III. Her brother Richard and sister Ann Caldwell celebrate the evening with her. She has a long association with the royal court as a train bearer for Queen Jess Ann Heppenstall, King James Gewin, and her grandfather, Charles Kennedy Porter, fondly known as Kipper. She also danced for the court as a page for two years.
Queen Alice carries forward the royal tradition of her mother, Queen Jeanne Kennedy Porter (1996) and her grandmother Queen Margaret Marks Porter (1971). Her Aunt, Margaret Moore Porter, was a Lady in Waiting (2000). She is humble and honored to be the third generation to celebrate the good work of the Krewe in its support of the Birmingham Museum of Art, beloved by her great grandparents Jeanne and Caldwell Marks.
Queen Alice is grateful to share the festivities with King Henry Ray, the patriarch of a wonderful family with whom many fun times have been shared at Lake Martin. She would like to show her extreme appreciation of Captain David Driscoll, her faithful guards, and the Krewe for their hard work in creating a fun-filled evening for all of us to remember.