DR. PAUL EDWARD GRAY

1932 - 2017

GRAY, Dr. Paul Edward Paul Edward Gray died peacefully at home at Newbury Court in Concord, on September 18, 2017, after a lengthy and courageous battle with Alzheimer's Disease. Born in Newark, New Jersey on February 7th, 1932 to Florence and Kenneth Gray, Paul was fascinated by all things electrical. He made electronic gadgets at home from the time he was quite small, with his father, who let him take apart and put back together most of the appliances in the house. He built his own radio equipment and was a HAM radio operator for many happy years. Upon completing high school, Paul went to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to study Electrical Engineering, a member of ROTC. He joined the Phi Sigma Kappa fraternity in 1952, where he found brothers, and earned his B.S. in 1954. He earned his S.M. in 1955 and then served two years in the Army as an instructor at Fort Devens in Massachusetts. He returned to MIT and finished his Sc.D. in 1960, whereupon he joined the faculty and became a professor. He rose quickly in various administrative capacities including Associate Dean, Associate Provost, Dean of Engineering, and Chancellor. With his wife, Priscilla King Gray, at his side, he helped guide MIT through the social change and technological transformation that marked the second half of the 20th century. He was a staunch advocate for public understanding of science, federal support for research and higher education, and collaboration between academia and industry. In 1980, Paul was appointed President of the Institute. He is remembered for his unwavering support of and advocacy for students and faculty of color and women, for the establishment of the Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP), the Leaders for Manufacturing Program, and MIT's relationship with the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research. In 1990, Paul was elected the Chair of the Corporation, an office he served for seven years. In 1997, he returned to teaching and advising students, his very favorite part of his career in higher education. As an MIT Professor Gray was part of an effort in the 1960s to overhaul the way electrical engineering was taught, moving the focus away from vacuum tubes and squarely onto semiconductor electronics. In support of this transition, Gray wrote seven textbooks and other materials, working with MIT colleagues as well as colleagues at other universities. Paul served on several corporate and charitable boards, including the Boston Museum of Science, WGBH, and a decade as the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Wheaton College in Norton, MA. While Paul had many professional and volunteer accomplishments, his family was the center and foundation of his life. In Paul's sophomore year at MIT, he met Priscilla Wilson King on a blind date. Priscilla was the love of Paul's life and his partner in all things. They were married on June 18, 1955. Together they raised and educated four children. Paul was a loving and energetic family man, a truly devoted husband, and a deeply engaged and wise father, especially good at helping with problematic homework. Paul's standards were high but he never expected anything of his children and students that he didn't expect of himself. He played squash for virtually all his years at MIT, he hiked, biked, skated, swam, and sailed with his children, and he enjoyed working in his woodshop, fixing broken things, and working in his yard. He was a master craftsman, creating beautiful furniture. Paul was an active member of Hancock United Church of Christ and a bible study fellowship there, for well over fifty years. Paul was a man of faith and integrity, he was incredibly hard working, tremendously compassionate, and he lived by the light of his generosity and principles and the direction of his true moral compass. He was an extraordinary and honorable gentleman in every regard. Paul often quoted Pogo. "We have met the enemy and he is us." Paul is survived by his wife of 62 years, Priscilla K. Gray; his four children and their spouses; Virginia and Thomas Army, Amy and David Sluyter, Andrew and Yukiko Gray, and Louise and Timothy Huyck; twelve grandchildren and three grandchildren spouses; Hannah Army, Rachel Army, Caroline Sluyter and Caroline Perry, Stephanie and James Charbonnet, Priscilla and Selvin Elliott, Elizabeth Army, Catherine Army, Marie Gray, Paul Gray, Taylor Huyck, Andrew Huyck, and Cynthia Huyck; and one great grandchild, Virginia Elliott. He also leaves a sister-in-law and brother-in-law, Cynthia and Louis Schueler, and several special nephews and nieces. Paul cherished each grandchild and their unique gifts and skills. Watching them grow and learn and connect with each other was his greatest joy over the past thirty plus years. He was a steady and ready source of encouragement, support, affection, and inspiration for each grandchild. He believed in them and his unconditional love is mirrored today by their own ways of being in the world. Paul's sturdy love, wit, kindness, and fierce determination and intellect will be sorely missed. The family wishes to thank Doctors William Kettyle and David Diamond of the MIT Medical Department, and Dr. Alireza Atri, formerly of Massachusetts General Hospital, for their kind and attentive care during his illness. They also thank the staff of Newbury Court and Abundant Life Services, and Care Dimensions Hospice for helping Paul to die with his dignity intact, in his home, with his wife and family at his side. So many truly exceptional friends were present and supportive, going far out of their way to ease and cheer the journey. Your love has made all the difference in Paul and Priscilla's life. In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts may be made to MIT, in memory of Paul Gray for MIT's Aging Brain Initiative. Checks should be made payable to MIT and mailed to Bonny Kellermann, Memorial Gifts Office, 600 Memorial Drive, W98-500, Cambridge, MA 02139, or at https://giving.mit.edu/gray, as the scientists and engineers of MIT search for a cure to the cruel ravages of Alzheimer's Disease. A Memorial Service will be held at Hancock United Church of Christ, 1912 Massachusetts Avenue, Lexington, on October 1, 2017 at 1 PM. A celebration of Paul's life and work at MIT, which he called "this special place," will be held at the Institute on November 30, 2017 at 3 PM. Funeral arrangements are entrusted to the O'Neill Funeral Home of Middleboro, MA, and burial will be private.

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