James L. Gray
This article needs additional citations for verification. (June 2021) |
James Laird Gray (1926–2010) was a Scottish engineer who helped develop several
Biography
Born in
He moved to England from Scotland to begin working in steam turbine and power station engineering at English Electric in Rugby. In an article published at his retirement, he gave credit for this direction to the chief engineer of English Electric, who said, "forget naval turbines" and steered him towards power station steam turbines which were "the thing of the future."
He married his wife Mary in 1954 and had three children: Alex (b. 1955), Susan (b. 1956), and John (b. 1964).[3]
After English Electric, Gray joined the
New
Gray retired in the late 1980s and lived with his wife in Garelochhead, the family home since 1975. He stayed busy even while in retirement; he and his wife were key figures in the renovation and management of Gibson Hall, a community center. He also maintained an active interest in public energy policy, particularly in Scotland. In 2008 he authored the pamphlet Electric Power in the New Scotland,[4] which proposed a renewed commitment to nuclear power generation in Scotland and which formed part of a submission[5] that he made to the Scottish Government Economy, Energy, and Tourism Committee's Inquiry into Scotland's Energy Future.[6]
Later in retirement, he lost sight due to glaucoma and subsequently developed chest complaints. After deteriorating health, he died in the family home on August 2, 2010.[7][8]
Awards
During his career, Gray received two awards from the
Gray was a Fellow of the
Notes
- ^ Source: verified by recorded interview Feb 2010
- ^ New Scientist. Reed Business Information. 28 January 1960.
- ^ Source: birth certificates UK General Register Office
- ^ https://web.archive.org/web/20110605141459/http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/s3/committees/eet/inquiries/energyFuture/80JamesGray2.pdf
- ^ Submission to the Scottish energy futures inquiry
- ^ Scottish Parliament Economy, Energy and Tourism Committee Archived 6 December 2010 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Source: death certificate UK General Register Office
- ^ Source: all other facts sourced from his son, Alex Gray, 2006