|
John O. Gray
(1917 — 2007)
John Gray, age 90, died July 22 at his home in Arlington after a long
battle with congestive heart failure.
Born in Boston, he was raised in Silver Valley, Idaho. He graduated
from the University of Idaho and was a member of the University of
Idaho Alumni Hall of Fame. In 1941, John was commissioned a second
lieutenant in the Army Air Corps from the University of Idaho ROTC
program. During World War II he served on the headquarters staff of General
Jimmy Doolittle's Eighth Air Force headquarters in England. He was recalled
to active duty during the Korean War and served in the Air Force as a
reserve forces liaison officer in the Office of Information. Much of his time in the Air Force reserve was spent as
information director for the Secretary of the Air Force and as a member of the Air
Force Headquarters Command Air Reserve Policy Council. John completed
his military career in 1977 retiring as a brigadier general.
Among his many honors and awards are the Legion of Merit;
Bronze Star Medal; the Army commendation Medal; the Exceptional Service
Award, the highest honor the Air Force bestows on a civilian; and the Air Force
Special Citation. He was also recognized for outstanding service by five U.S. Presidents and the Speaker of the
U.S. House of Representatives and received numerous awards from other
veterans' and military-oriented associations.
John joined the AFA staff in 1957 and his first assignment was
project director of the Association's World Congress of Flight. After his
first retirement from AFA in 1978, he continued to serve AFA in a
consulting role over the years and was called out of retirement twice to serve as
Executive Director. John served on both the AFA Board of Directors and the
Air Force Memorial Foundation Board of Trustees.
Interment will take place on October 4 in Arlington
National Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Air Force
Memorial Foundation, 1501 Lee Highway, Suite 400, Arlington, Virginia 22209.
Survivors include a brother, Robert Deal, of Yakima, Washington;
two sisters, Ruth Carpenter of New Port, Washington, Joan Grondahl of
Everett, Washington, several nieces and nephews, and many, many friends.
Return to the Table of Contents
or go to the Next Article
|
