Arthur Leslie Grey Jr.

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Arthur Grey Obituary

Arthur Leslie GREY, Jr. Jan 18, 1922 ~ Feb 12, 2012 Arthur Leslie Grey Jr., Urban Planning professor and multi-faceted scholar, was a gracious, modest man with great self-confidence - a sweet combo. He had a twinkle in his eye anda wry, whimsical humor, often expressed in verse. He felt and acted strongly in support of those less privileged. Growing up in San Jose, CA, Arthur got his BA at San Jose State and worked summers in the canneries of Santa Clara Valley before it became Silicon Valley. In World War II, Arthur's army unit was headed to the Battle of the Bulge when pneumonia, cured by the first penicillin, redirected him to Okinawa. Returning home, Arthur enrolled in graduate studies at UC Berkeley in Economics and met Patricia (Patsy) Wing in a social reform class. They wed in 1947. Their interests and values were totally compatible, and the next 64 years was an ongoing lively discussion of history, politics, and current events, which their granddaughter called "whatever". His timely book, Korea Today, won acclaim, published in 1950 just before the Korean War. After finishing his PhD in Economics, he taught at the University of Nevada, CalTech, and USC where he transitioned to Urban Planning. He was Chairman of the Department at USC before taking a tenured professorship at UW 1964-1989. He chaired the Urban and Regional Planning Department during the turbulent years 1967-73. Other professional engagements included the San Francisco Planning Commission, the Bank of America in Chicago, and the LA Office of Real Estate Research. The Greys were active in the Young Democrats and Arthur was appointed to the California State Scholarship Commission by Governor Pat Brown. In 1971, Arthur founded the Remote Sensing Lab at UW. He was one of the first planners in the country to envision a broad role in urban and regional planning using information taken from satellite images. Sabbaticals spent at Claremont College, CA and Clare Hall in Cambridge, England, entertained his family with history and culture. In 1996, Arthur helped formed the Senior Action Committee of the American Planning Association. Arthur leaves his bereaved wife Patsy, daughters, Mimi Etherington, Tracy (David) Krauter, and 6 grandchildren who will miss him and whom he enjoyed so much: Kellie, Ashley, Peter, Axel, Simon, Miles. Arthur also leaves sister, Florence (Hal) Reily, of Los Gatos. Thanks to Filomena and Sunia Naiyaga, kind caretakers. His extensive library on man, philosophy, and the built environment will be donated. All are invited to a Celebration of his Life at his home, 1912 38th Ave E, Seattle on March 31st 2-5pm. In lieu of flowers, please send remembrances to the Sierra Club or The Nation magazine. Please visit www.legacy.com.

To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.

Published by The Seattle Times on Feb. 26, 2012.

Memories and Condolences
for Arthur Grey

10 Entries

Duane Shinn

February 21, 2023

Arthur comes to my mind often. He once said students only remember parts of what is taught.
He taught me so much, and he´s right. I remember snippets I don´t remember whole lectures.
His dedication to letting every voice be heard, was remarkable and life-changing.

Arthur Leslie Grey, Jr. A pastel - a gift from a student, Berhane Mehary

February 29, 2012

Ned Opdyke

February 29, 2012

Arthur became my father-in-law in 1984, and even after my divorce, I always considered him my father. He was (almost always) a soft-spoken and gentle man, with an inner strength that was not always obvious (to me). His tenderness and sincerity, combined with his intelligence and humor, was a true blessing to all that had the honor of knowing him, or even coming across his path. My sincerest condolences to Patricia and the entire Grey Family. He was a great man and those of us who were able to spend time around him were very fortunate.

Seattle 2001 in Kay Knapton's house.

Ayse Gedik

February 29, 2012

29/2/2012, Ankara, Turkey
I learned about our loss of Professor A.Grey from Professor Don Miller. I feel deeply sad.
I met Professor Grey during my Doctoral studies in 1973-77 in UW. He was one of my idols by his politeness, sensitivity, as well as his tolerance and the his kind and amiable way to approach different views and opinions. I took a seminar course from him. We used to discuss in the coffee-dougnut shop at the ground floor of the Gould Hall. I still remember very fondly the extremely useful and pleasant hours we spent in discussing various questions concerning the squatter settlements.

After my graduation in November 1977, my first visit to Seattle and UW was in 2001 when I stayed with my dear classmate Kay Knapton. I met Professors A. Grey and D. Miller in the party in Kay's home--after 24 years. He was as pleasant as ever and with that good-natured teasing twinkle in his eyes. I am enclosing the picture taken on that evening.

I re-visited Seattle in summer of 2011,
but could not reach him. Upon my return to Turkey I tried to reach him by phone several times but I was not successful.

I shall always remember Professor Grey, a true gentleman with deep respect, love and admiration.
Ayse Gedik (Emeritus Professor),
Middle East Technical University, Ankara, Turkey. [email protected]

Lee Copeland

February 27, 2012

My sincere condolences to Pat and all of the Grey family. I was a colleague of Art's from 1964 to 1979. While I served as dean of the College, Art constantly challenged me in a constructive manner enabling me to gain experience and perspective in addressing the challenges and opportunities in our academic environment. Art contributed to building and sustaining a great Department of Urban & Regional Planning. Thank you Art. You will be missed.

Faisal Mubarak

February 26, 2012

During my Ph.D. study at the Depatment of Urban Design and Planning, 1988-1992, i was prevelged to be taught by Dr. Grey. He expanded my understanding of the conomic aspects of urban planning. I can say much about his welcoming attitude, almost paternalistic. He sat on my Disseration committee and provided me with much valued advice. Commenting on my Ph.D. Dissertation proposal early drafts, when i consulted him on my aggressive tune, he told me you dont want to be 'wimp,' and that I need much energy at the dissertaion proposal start to help go through the disseration long, frustrating excercise. He offered students ample space to think, discuss and voice there concerns with planning timely issues and future expectations and prospects.
Faisal Al Mubarak,
Provost,
Al Faisal University,
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
www.alfaisal.edu.

Michael Knapp

February 26, 2012

My sincere condolences to Dr Grey. Art was my thesis advisor in 1974 and his advice and guidance influenced to a large extent whatever success I have achieved in planning. He also did contribute with his advice to enable me to graduate in 1974 and providing me with a reference for my first planning position as well as later providing me a reference to enroll in another grad program at Harvard almost 10 year lator. He will be remember by me and sincerely missed.

February 26, 2012

Elegy for Arthur Grey

Arthur Grey was the man who hired me on to the faculty of the Department of Urban Planning at the University of Washington in 1971 and who was instrumental in my becoming a professor there, in the middle of what the obituary in today's Seattle Times refers to as “the turbulent years.”

I want to honor him for the kind of comprehensive planner/economist he was. The turbulence was the result of bitter communications between those known as “social planners” who believed passionately that the primary role of the city planner was to do whatever could be done to ameliorate the unfairness of the system toward the poor, the uneducated, and the non-white population…. and those known as “physical planners” who believed that the responsibility of the city planner was limited to making the city work better in terms of residential and industrial land use, aesthetics, zoning, street patterns, the location of public buildings and utilities, parks and open space, and even the preservation of historic structures and places.

Art Grey was sympathetic to both sides of this impasse but was quietly insistent that it was even more important for the city planner to be comprehensive and realistic in his work. Comprehensive meant that insights and input from many disciplines had to be welcomed into the planning process, including law, sociology, fiscal policy, public health, public administration, political science, as well as economics and finance. Realistic meant that public-sector planners needed to deal on their own terms with property owners, politicians, autonomous special districts and authorities, commmunity leaders, lawyers, bankers, and, of course, civil engineers and real estate developers. Wanting his graduate school to train students in being comprehensive and realistic meant that his faculty had to be willing to allow space between “physical” and “social” concerns, to accept that comprehensive plans in the real world had to be flexible (to provide for future change) and, in the meantime, would always be suboptimal and indeterminate (particularly in the eyes of architects who could provide much-neater, clearly-articulated, solutions to the problems handed to them).

He also brought his experience to the community at large by founding a local chapter of Lambda Alpha International Fraternity, devoted to the realities of “land economics” and composed of local bankers, architects, real estate moguls, land use attorneys, busness economists …. and planners. I had the privilege of being in his corner both inside the academy and with the downtown Lambda Alpha folks. I believe his ideas for comprehensivity (and, by extension, his interest in the remote sensing laboratory) still represent the city planning profession at its best.

Respectfully and affectionately,
Alan Rabinowitz
February 26, 2012

Duane Shinn

February 26, 2012

Dr. Grey was special to me and our relationship began in 1960 on a very hot September afternoon in Los Angeles. I wore a heavy tweed suit and sweat profusely as he occupied the office of Dean Arthur Gallion. I thought it was his own; and later, discovered his office was under the stairway on the second floor. His driving scared me to death on my first field trip. From there we were forever bonded. What a great guy and friend. Later in life I was so close, I had to think for him as Genie Godel and I ran the Department in his absences. He never threw a fit over the decisions made. All our love to Pat and Mimi and Tracy and the rest of the family. Duane and Rita Shinn and our family.

Al Levine

February 26, 2012

My sincerest condolences. Art was my thesis advisor in 1969 and I owe a large part of whatever success I have achieved in planning to his support and friendship over the years. I am not sure I would have made it out of grad school without his guidance and I know for sure I would have had a very different career.
Al Levine, MUP 69

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