Grattan Gray

Grattan Gray, community leader, newspaper innovator and chairman of the Monroe Publishing Co. Board of Directors, died Tuesday at his home in Monroe. He was 82.Mr. Gray was the second generation editor and president of Monroe Publishing and The Monroe Evening News, taking over after the death of his father, JS Gray, in 1972. Because of his belief in local ownership and journalistic independence, he later engineered the sale of the newspaper company to the employees starting in 1994.Lonnie Peppler-Moyer, current president of Monroe Publishing Co., said, "To us at The News, it’s a huge loss — to anybody who has been here for a long time, and even the newer people. "Without his foresight, the employees would not have ownership of the company. All of the employee owners owe him a big thank you for allowing us to own the newspaper. And because he continued to serve on our board as chairman, we still were able to use his oversight and guidance on a daily basis. We’ll miss that contact. "Mr. Gray turned over presidency of the company to his son, Stephen T. Gray, in 1995. He remained chairman of the board of Monroe Publishing. In 1982, he was one of the founders of the Monroe County Industrial Development Corp., a public/private agency coordinating growth opportunities for business and jobs in the county. William Sunderland, fellow founder of the IDC and retired executive vice president of Monroe Bank & Trust, said Mr. Gray was dedicated to making the community a better place.” He and I were the money-raisers to start the IDC and he worked very, very hard," Mr. Sunderland said this morning. "We were meeting and we felt something had to get done to get the community going. He was always so full of ideas. He was a great man, in my estimation. "Mr. Gray’s newspaper career began at the age of 12 when his father put him to work pouring lead pigs to supply the newspaper’s Linotype machines. He subsequently worked in the mailroom, composing room and press room, eventually running the circulation department before moving to the newsroom as editorial page editor. He became the editor in 1972 and he served as president and general manager from 1977 to 1995. "This is a loss for the community and for me personally and all the employees of The Evening News," said Editor Deborah Saul who has been with the paper since 1974. "The knowledge and experience Grat had is almost irreplaceable. It’s been 70 years since he started his first job for the newspaper in the basement of this building. He carried with him not just our longest institutional memory, but also vast knowledge about the newspaper industry and about Monroe County. "Mr. Gray attended Monroe Public Schools and graduated from Culver Military Academy in 1942. He went on to Culver Junior College and eventually Northwestern University through the Navy. Mr. Gray served during World War II in the Pacific Theater aboard the USS New York and the USS Pennsylvania in 1943-44. He was recalled to active duty in 1950 during the Korean War. Following his service, Mr. Gray worked as a copy boy and junior reporter at the San Francisco Chronicle in 1946. He returned to Northwestern University to graduate with the class of 1947. He came back to The Monroe Evening News in late 1946 as a reporter. From 1947 through the summer of 1950, he worked in various capacities in the newsroom and he started the photo department at The Evening News in 1949. Grat was born August 24, 1925 the son of the late JS and Harriett (Taylor) Gray. In 1948, he married Amy Thomas of Ypsilanti. They have two sons, Stephen T. (Cynthia) Gray of Canton, MA and Matthew H. (Candy) Gray of Monroe, MI, four grandchildren; Gordon, Abigail, Benjamin and Matthew. Grat also is survived by his brother Whitmore (Svea) Gray of Ann Arbor and his sister Thorne Hawley of Seattle, WA. Mr. Gray was active in the newspaper industry, serving as president of the Michigan Press Association in 1972-73. He also was a member of the Inland Daily Press Association board in the 1970s, the Michigan Associated Press Editorial Association in the 1980s and served as a Michigan League of Home Dailies board member and president in the early 1990s.In 1998 he was awarded the Inland Distinguished Service Award. "He taught me almost everything I know about the newspaper industry and it stands me in good stead every minute of my career," said his son, Stephen Gray, who has gone on to be managing publisher of The Christian Science Monitor and now serves as director of a major industry project looking at the future of the news business. In 1999, Mr. Gray was inducted into the Michigan Journalism Hall of Fame. His early uses of electronic technology in journalism, his participation in various industry associations and his role in setting up an Employee Stock Ownership Plan, which led to the employee purchase of The Evening News, were keys in the decision to recognize Mr. Gray. Mrs. Peppler-Moyer recalled Mr. Gray’s interest in innovation. "We’re really advanced for a newspaper of our size. He loved to go to the trade shows and we would frequently beta test things. He really was an enforcer of new technology and, thanks to him, that creativity and innovation – that innovation is still in the forefront and has been ingrained into the company. "He served on many local boards and committees, including the United Way, Junior Achievement, Red Cross and others. He was one of the founders of the Monroe YMCA and was a past president of the Monroe Exchange Club. William Morris, current chairman of the IDC, said, "Grattan was a true leader in our community. He did it in a rather quiet – a very, very quiet — manner. He was always a person I could personally go to for advice and his advice was greatly appreciated and heeded over the years. Grat and Amy are true leaders of our community – more than many of us will even know. "I will, personally, miss him very much," said Mr. Morris. He was a member of the First Church of Christ, Scientist, Monroe, where he served as current chairman and treasurer. A private family observance will be held. Memorial contributions may be given to the First Church of Christ, Scientist, Monroe, 19 E. 1st St., Monroe, MI 48161, The Grattan and Stephen T. Gray Scholarship Fund c/o the Community Foundation of Monroe, 28 S. Macomb St., Monroe, MI 48161, God Works! Family Soup Kitchen, P.O. Box 962, Monroe, MI 48161, Michigan Press Association Foundation, 827 N. Washington Ave., Lansing, MI 48906-5199 or a charity of the donors choice.

Grattan Gray

December 25, 2007