(transcribed: 02/14/06)  Copy courtesy of Fayetteville Public Library  --------------------   The Fayetteville DEMOCRAT  Fayetteville, Arkansas   Thursday Evening -- Dec 14, 1905  ----------------------  COL O C GRAY BURIED  ~~~~~~~~~   A special train arrived Monday morning from Little Rock bearing the remains of Colonel O C Gray. The body was attended by Mr Carl Gray and a number of templars who were intimate friends of the deceased. News of the death of Colonel Gray reached this city yesterday and created a gloom among the hundreds of our citizens who knew and loved him. During the many years that he resided here his quiet gentle life and manly dignity endeared him to everyone and his great intellect had a pronounced influence on the public mind. He was a native of Maine and after his graduation from a leading educational institution at Waterville he attended school at Dartmouth. After that he came to Arkansas [after 4 years in Minnesota, and 1 year in Mississippi] while still in his young manhood and identified himself, heart and soul, with the interests of this state. Soon after he settled here the war broke out and he took up arms with the south. He made a valiant record as a soldier, entering the army as a private and surrendering as a colonel [highest rank was captain]. His whole life was characterized with an earnestness that won all things for him and in whatever business he ventured success went with him. He was a brave director and a wise counselor in war, a patriot always and in civil life a foremost citizen. He was honored with offices of high trust before, during and after the war. Among some of the positions he held are the following: Superintendent of public schools, Minneapolis, Minn, 1856- 57, principal of Monticello Academy, Monticello, Ark [actually Monticello, Minnesota 56-58] 60-61. In the later year was principal of Princeton Female Academy, and after the war returned to this position. Professor of mathematics in St Johns College, 1868-71 [ 1869, Arkansas School for the Blind built their first brick building, dedicating it to Col Gray, to be removed in 1948 with b ricks used in Governors Mansion]; president of St Johns College 71-75; professor on mathematics [first chair of civil engineering, 1875-79] in University of Arkansas, 75-86; principal of [first public school, Washington, 1885] public schools and Mayor of Fayetteville, 87-89; professor of mathematics in University of Arkansas, 89-95 [GRAY HALL dedicated to his memory in 1906, removed in 1966]; principal of the Arkansas School for the Blind, 1895-1905, with exception of two years during which time he was president of the Speers-Langford Institute at Searcy; His seventy-three years were crowned with usefulness and honor. The funeral was conducted today at 2:00 p m , Rev Dr Davies and J J Vaulx officiating. The remains were laid to rest in the Evergreen cemetery [lot 144] with Knights Templar honors. All the immediate family were present.  ------------<>------------  See;  http://www.rootsweb.com/~arpulask/Col.MrsOCGray.html