Joe Gray ’42 – faithful, proud and true

 

  Joe Gray ’42, has been one of Missouri Western’s ardent supporters for many years. He was honored recently for his dedication to the university when he received an honorary doctorate at the December commencement ceremony, and the biology department named their natural history collection after him.

Dr. Robert Vartabedian, Missouri Western’s president, said he wanted to honor Joe for his selfless commitment to the university. “For many, many years he has quietly done numerous wonderful things for our community and university,” Dr. Vartabedian said. “He has given of his time, his insights, and his support to improve the quality of life for our community and his alma mater.”

The biology department’s collection of plants, vertebrates and invertebrates is now named the Joseph L. Gray Natural History Collection. Dr. John Rushin, professor of biology, said they appreciate Joe’s support of their programs, especially those related to the natural history of plants and animals, over the past 15 years.

“Missouri Western is one of the greatest assets we have in northwest Missouri,” Joe said. “The quality of education won’t take a back seat to any other institution.”

 A native of St. Joseph, Joe graduated from the St. Joseph Junior College and earned a bachelor of science degree in aeronautical engineering from the University of Kansas School of Engineering. He worked as an engineer for eight years, including three years at the Pentagon, before returning to St. Joseph in 1952 to work in the business his father had started.

To this day, Joe stays active in the two family businesses and is currently chairman for both of them – Gray Manufacturing Company in St. Joseph and Vektek, Inc., in Emporia, Kan. Several Missouri Western students have completed internships at Gray Manufacturing, and Joe said many were hired on full-time after their internships.

Over the past 25 years, Joe and his wife, Anne, have given Missouri Western more than 170 different gifts, including contributions to the biology, music, and music theatre programs; the campus beautification project and the initiative to build an amphitheater on campus. He helped start the fund to build the Glenn E. Marion Clock Tower in 1997, and he and Anne are founding members of the Western League for Excellence and the Missouri Western Arts Society.

“It is a privilege to have the responsibility to institutions in this community,” Joe said. “At Missouri Western, you give financial support and you know it will be used responsibly.”

Joe said he enjoyed working with all four presidents since Missouri Western became a four-year institution: Dr. M.O. Looney, Dr. Janet McCarthy, Dr. James Scanlon, and Dr. Vartabedian. “Each had their strengths and did a fine job. Dr. Vartabedian is doing a great job.”

In the community, he served as a board member of the St. Joseph Library and even held stints as president of the St. Joseph Metro Chamber and Buchanan County commissioner.

“Without Missouri Western, the future of St. Joseph would be bleak,” Joe said. “It’s critically important to have Missouri Western here.”

 Advice from a successful business owner  

When Joe Gray ’42, who is chairman of two long-time family businesses, was asked what his formula for a successful business is, he immediately turned to a quotation from President Calvin Coolidge that is taped to his desktop:

“Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan ‘Press On’ has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race.”

“To be successful in business, you have to understand who your customer is and their needs. Then you address those needs better than your competitors do,” Joe said. “If we don’t make our focus taking care of our customers, we are out of business.”

 In 1965, Gray Manufacturing Company, which designs, manufactures and sells lifting devices for servicing heavy over-the-road trucks, trailers and buses, was the 13th business to join the Jack Institute, a professional manufacturing association.

“We were the runt of the litter,” Joe said. “The next smallest company was four or five times our size, and the largest was 30 times our size.” The institute has since disbanded, and Gray Manufacturing remains the only one of the original 13 companies that is still in business today.

-end-