Kerry Gray fs '74 never finished the English degree he began at Wichita State — perhaps the only endeavor he didn't see through to success. He began work at Associated Advertising Agency Inc. while attending college, in 1973.
It was supposed to be simply a summer mailroom and delivery job — "basically a gofer," says Pres Huston, then-chairman of Associated. But Huston himself had been a mailboy at one time, and Gray, similarly, rose through the ranks. Gray served as president and CEO of Associated for 13 years before retiring in September 2003.
A 1987 Wichita Eagle article lists some of his accomplishments: "Kerry Gray has sky-dived, won a banana-eating contest, been a cook in an Italian restaurant, earned a black belt in martial arts." In addition to these unusual achievements, he was a notorious "parrothead," a devoted fan of singer Jimmy Buffett. Gray once paid $3,000 for a pair of tickets to Buffett's millennium concert.
When diagnosed with Lou Gehrig's disease in 2002, Gray attacked his condition with the same gusto he would have a new account, learning as much as he could about it and compiling a fact sheet for family and friends.
Even as his health failed, Rotary Club of Wichita presented him with the Service Above Self Award, recognizing his outstanding civic service, and the Broadcast Professionals of Wichita honored him with induction in its Hall of Fame.
Kerry Gray died July 27 in Wichita.
