Richard Lee Gray

PHOENIX – Richard L. (Dick) Gray was born

Sept. 2, 1924 in St. Louis, Mo, the son of Arthur Lee

Gray and Corrine Vogt Gray. Corrine passed away in 1936 and Arthur married Helen Briggs. Dick had a brother Robert [Bob] and stepbrother, Arthur, Jr.

With both parents employed in Washington, D.C.,

Dick and Bob attended private boarding schools, including Western Military in IL & St. John’s Military Academy in WI. Dick then went on to attend

Erskine College and The Citadel, both in SC.

Dick served four years in the Army Air Corps during World War II. After leaving Washington,

Dick’s family resided in AR, TN and finally, AZ. The move to AZ was necessitated by illness, including Arthur’s advancing Parkinson’s. Subsequent to the war, Dick joined the family in AZ where he became a professional swimming instructor at the Phoenix Country Club and other resorts. He also worked at similar establishments in Miami, Cuba, Kansas City and San Diego, where he was the Director of the Beach and Tennis Club at the Hotel del Coronado.

On September 28, 1951 Dick married Wilma Reese, also of Phoenix, a marriage that lasted 45 wonderful years. Mark Gray, a son, was born to the union in 1956.

Dick then launched a long and successful career in the hospitality, management and consulting business. Three years as a manager at the Hotel Westward Ho and four years as GM of the Arizona Contractor’s Club (A.B.C.) preceded his position as GM of the Arizona Club. Dick was part of the NorthernAire Corp., which developed Pinewood Country Club in Munds Park, AZ, and then returned to Phoenix to develop the Cloud Club on top of the Guarantee Bank Building. He went on to develop a similar private club in Albuquerque, NM.

Upon returning to Phoenix from Albuquerque, Dick formed Dick Gray and Associates with his wife Wilma and took offices in West Plaza Shopping Center, where they managed the center. The company also contracted with Mr. John Mills to be his Director of Sales for the Associated Federal Hotel chain, which had properties in Arizona, New Mexico, Texas and Oklahoma, with headquarters at the Westward Ho in Phoenix.

With all of his experience in hospitality and management, Dick Gray was the natural choice to be appointed and, eventually, elected to the position of Vice-President of Tourism for the Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce for six consecutive years. With the Civic Plaza construction looming on the horizon, the Valley of the Sun Visitors and Convention Bureau was also formed with Dick as the Founding Director. During this effort, Dick also served as a Director on the Dedication Committee, and Director of the Community Dance on the opening night of the Phoenix Civic Plaza in 1978.

Dick Gray and Associates expanded into the convention management business and numbered among their many clients: Boy Scouts of America, 2 MLB draft meetings, National Association of Alcoholic Beverages, and in 1968, in association with the NRA, the Swiss Shooting Association and the International Olympic Committee, the 40th World Shooting Championships with 55 countries in attendance. The list goes on to include the National K.O.A. Campgrounds Owners’ Association, Allis Chalmers, Maritz Travel, Columbia Pictures, International Harvester, Fiat, Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association, and the National Telephone Credit Unions.

In his spare time, Dick was involved with the design and development of the Gold Canyon Golf Resort in Arizona and the Tahoe Seasons Resort in Heavenly Valley, California.

Dick’s community service has included the Community Development Advisory Council for the Theodore Roosevelt Council of the Boy Scouts of America, the Downtown Development Association, President of the Encanto and Clarendon P.T.A., President – Pinewood Homeowners’ Association, President – Westside Optimists’ Club, Advisory Board of the A to Z Horse Show, Board Member of the Civic Plaza Business and Professional Association, Board of Directors of the Sister City Commission, Chairman – Major Gifts of the Phoenix Z00 Capital Fund Drive, Vice-President of the Central Phoenix Business and Professional Association, President of the Arizona Intrastate Tourism Committee, Director – Arizona Hotel Association, Director – Political Action Committee(PAC) for all local Shopping Centers, Director – AZ Primate Foundation for 25 years, Chairman – AZ Heart Foundation for 25 years, and Director – Phoenix Centennial Committee.

Awards include 1971 – 1972 Phoenix Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce Service Award for Exceptional Service to the Community, 1973 – 1974 First Annual President’s Award for Distinguished Service to the Valley of the Sun Convention Bureau. 1982 - Arizona Office of Tourism Outstanding Service to the Tourism Industry and its People, 1994 – Governor’s Tourism Award, Tourism Hall of Fame, Honorary Life Member of the Arizona Hotel and Lodging Association, Boy Scouts of America – Silver Beaver Award for Distinguished Service to Youth, Grand Marshall, 2014 Independence Day Parade, Munds Park, Arizona.

Dick’s wife, Wilma, passed away in November of 1996, after 45 years of marriage. He continued her charity work and, in 1998, renewed a friendship with their friend Evelyn Higgins, who became his companion in life until her passing in 2007. Dick is survived by his son Mark and daughter-in-law Helen, their sons Matthew and Brandon(Camille), lifelong friend Jeanne Hoover, longtime friend Bill Pond, and his eight wonderful golfing and social pals, affectionately referred to as “Dick’s Chicks.”

A graveside service will be held at the National Memorial Cemetery of Arizona on Friday, January 17, 2019 at 2:30pm, 23029 N Cave Creek Road Phoenix, Arizona 85024.

In lieu of flowers donations may be made to the Arizona Heart Foundation. https://azheartfoundation.org/