One of the founders of the Citizens Club of Springfield and a State Journal-Register First Citizen died Monday following a brief illness. Bob Gray was 84.
Gray was born in the southern Illinois town of West Frankfort, graduated from O'Fallon Township High School and went to college at Southern Illinois University Carbondale. He moved to Springfield in early 1967 and began a career in state government, as a teacher and school administrator. He was also involved in Republican politics.
Gray was President of the Springfield Jaycees, President of the Illinois Jaycees, a longtime Sangamon County Republican Precinct Committeeman and member of the American Business Club. He was recognized by the Springfield Chamber as an Outstanding Young Man in 1972 and inducted to the Illinois Jaycees Hall of Fame in 2022.
Gray and others launched the Citizens Club in 2005 and he served as the longtime president, before retiring from the role a couple of years ago.
“We thought the public ought to be better educated and better informed on public policy,” he said. Each month, policy breakfasts and forums have been held on a variety of topics, from fracking to city government and more. The public can come and ask questions."
“We are really fortunate to have some tremendous people get involved,” he said in a 2022 interview with NPR Illinois.
He added, while a few members have been political operatives, the club has been able to keep politics out of the discussions.
“We are nonpartisan,” he said of the club. “It’s probably not fair to say we’re not political.”
“We kid about it. But it’s just not an issue. The kind of issues facing Springfield that need to be discussed are not partisan political,” he told the State Journal-Register when he was named the newspaper’s First Citizen in 2009. The award is for contributions to the community.
Gray was proud of the role the Citizens Club has played in getting people to talk about issues. But he also believed more could be done, especially when it came to having a long-term vision for the city and county.
“We don’t seem to have much of a plan. What do we want Springfield to look like in 10 years or 20 years?” he mentioned in 2022. “Springfield has all of these plusses, but it could be a lot better.”
"Gray was preceded in death by his parents and his wife of 55 years. He is survived by a son, Kent Gray of Springfield; grandsons, Harrison and Oliver Gray; and sister, Pamela McDaniel of Caseyville. In his later years, he found companionship with Vena Garrett, who became a significant part of his life," according to his obituary,
A funeral ceremony will begin at 3:00 p.m. on Sunday, September 29, 2024, with Celebrant Judy Woerner officiating. Family will receive friends following the ceremony from 3:30 p.m. until 6:00 p.m., at Butler Funeral Home – Springfield, 900 S. 6th St., Springfield.
Burial will take place at 11:00 a.m. on Monday, September 30, 2024, at Oak Ridge Cemetery. Memorials can be made to the Citizens Club of Springfield.
-
To hear Bob voice his story, listen to this 2022 Community Voices interview.
