SOUTH DARTMOUTH — John Bullard Gray, of South Dartmouth, Massachusetts, died on Monday, June 14, 2010.
Born in Boston in 1927, he was the son of Francis Calley Gray and Helen Rotch Bullard. He graduated from the Dexter School in Brookline, St. Mark's School in Southborough, Harvard College and Harvard Business School where he received a MBA.
After graduating from St. Mark's and before entering Harvard College, Mr. Gray enlisted in the United States Marine Corps, spending most of his time in China at the end of World War II.
In 1951, Mr. Gray joined the Dennison Manufacturing Company in Framingham, Massachusetts. Over the course of his forty-year career at Dennison, he served in numerous financial, production and general management positions. In 1968, he became a Corporate Vice President and Director. In 1972, he became a Senior Vice President. In 1979, he was elected Executive Vice President. In 1985, he was elected President and Chief Operating Officer, a position he held until his retirement in 1990 when Dennison Manufacturing merged with Avery to create the Avery Dennison Company.
Over the course of his career, Mr. Gray served as a director of the State Street Bank Corporation, Liberty Mutual Insurance Company, EG&G (now Perkin-Elmer), Stackpole Corporation, the Reece Corporation and Butler Automatic in addition to serving for many years as a director of Dennison. He also served as a trustee of the New England Aquarium, the Regional YMCA, the New England Shelter for Homeless Veterans, the Executive Service Corp and the Wentworth Institute where he received an honorary doctorate in Engineering Technology.
Mr. Gray resided in Dover, Massachusetts for 52 years where he served as a Selectman and Chairman of the Finance Committee. He was also an active member of the Dedham Country and Polo Club where he served in many roles including Treasurer, President and Governor over a period of eighteen years.
Mr. Gray is survived by his wife of sixty years, Virginia Hamilton; two sons, John Jr., of Redding, CT and David M., of Baltimore, MD; and a daughter, Lucinda Carey of New Canaan, CT; as well as seven grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.
A memorial service will be held at the Grace Church in New Bedford at 11 a.m., on Saturday, June 26th.
In lieu of flowers, the Gray family would prefer a donation to the Rotch-Jones-Duff House.