Elmon Taylor Gray was the eldest child of Garland "Peck" Gray and Agnes Elizabeth "Aggie" Taylor.
Gray matriculated at VMI in the fall of 1942. He left VMI in 1944 to serve with the U.S. Navy. After being discharged as an ensign in 1946, he returned to VMI to complete his degree, which he received in 1948.
After VMI, he joined his family's business, Gray Land & Timber, based in Waverly, Virginia. Originally centered on timber and lumber, it expanded into real estate development, becoming GrayCo in 1992. Gray served as the corporation's president for many years, and, at the time of his death, was its chairman. He also served on numerous corporate boards, including James River Bankshares Ltd. and Universal Corp.
In 1972, Gray became a member of the Senate of Virginia, filling the same seat his father had held. During two decades of senatorial service, he was a member of many key committees and was widely respected by colleagues of both parties. As the longtime chairman of the Senate's Education and Health Committee, he was one of the leaders in the effort that markedly improved higher education throughout Virginia and long thwarted efforts to curb abortion rights.
Mr. Gray's business interests occasionally paralleled his sports passion: horseracing. He was a member of a consortium of investors who worked unsuccessfully to persuade the state to locate a horse track in Hampton Roads after Virginians approved pari-mutuel racing in 1988.
Gray matriculated at VMI in the fall of 1942. He left VMI in 1944 to serve with the U.S. Navy. After being discharged as an ensign in 1946, he returned to VMI to complete his degree, which he received in 1948.
After VMI, he joined his family's business, Gray Land & Timber, based in Waverly, Virginia. Originally centered on timber and lumber, it expanded into real estate development, becoming GrayCo in 1992. Gray served as the corporation's president for many years, and, at the time of his death, was its chairman. He also served on numerous corporate boards, including James River Bankshares Ltd. and Universal Corp.
In 1972, Gray became a member of the Senate of Virginia, filling the same seat his father had held. During two decades of senatorial service, he was a member of many key committees and was widely respected by colleagues of both parties. As the longtime chairman of the Senate's Education and Health Committee, he was one of the leaders in the effort that markedly improved higher education throughout Virginia and long thwarted efforts to curb abortion rights.
Mr. Gray's business interests occasionally paralleled his sports passion: horseracing. He was a member of a consortium of investors who worked unsuccessfully to persuade the state to locate a horse track in Hampton Roads after Virginians approved pari-mutuel racing in 1988.
Elmon Taylor Gray was the eldest child of Garland "Peck" Gray and Agnes Elizabeth "Aggie" Taylor.
Gray matriculated at VMI in the fall of 1942. He left VMI in 1944 to serve with the U.S. Navy. After being discharged as an ensign in 1946, he returned to VMI to complete his degree, which he received in 1948.
After VMI, he joined his family's business, Gray Land & Timber, based in Waverly, Virginia. Originally centered on timber and lumber, it expanded into real estate development, becoming GrayCo in 1992. Gray served as the corporation's president for many years, and, at the time of his death, was its chairman. He also served on numerous corporate boards, including James River Bankshares Ltd. and Universal Corp.
In 1972, Gray became a member of the Senate of Virginia, filling the same seat his father had held. During two decades of senatorial service, he was a member of many key committees and was widely respected by colleagues of both parties. As the longtime chairman of the Senate's Education and Health Committee, he was one of the leaders in the effort that markedly improved higher education throughout Virginia and long thwarted efforts to curb abortion rights.
Mr. Gray's business interests occasionally paralleled his sports passion: horseracing. He was a member of a consortium of investors who worked unsuccessfully to persuade the state to locate a horse track in Hampton Roads after Virginians approved pari-mutuel racing in 1988.
Gray matriculated at VMI in the fall of 1942. He left VMI in 1944 to serve with the U.S. Navy. After being discharged as an ensign in 1946, he returned to VMI to complete his degree, which he received in 1948.
After VMI, he joined his family's business, Gray Land & Timber, based in Waverly, Virginia. Originally centered on timber and lumber, it expanded into real estate development, becoming GrayCo in 1992. Gray served as the corporation's president for many years, and, at the time of his death, was its chairman. He also served on numerous corporate boards, including James River Bankshares Ltd. and Universal Corp.
In 1972, Gray became a member of the Senate of Virginia, filling the same seat his father had held. During two decades of senatorial service, he was a member of many key committees and was widely respected by colleagues of both parties. As the longtime chairman of the Senate's Education and Health Committee, he was one of the leaders in the effort that markedly improved higher education throughout Virginia and long thwarted efforts to curb abortion rights.
Mr. Gray's business interests occasionally paralleled his sports passion: horseracing. He was a member of a consortium of investors who worked unsuccessfully to persuade the state to locate a horse track in Hampton Roads after Virginians approved pari-mutuel racing in 1988.
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