Victor Gray - Honorary Member 2006, SEAW Seattle President 1963

Born in Missoula, Montana and a WWII veteran (US Navy Seabees), Victor Otto Gray (1926-2016) earned the BSCE from Gonzaga University in 1950 and the MSSE from the University of Washington in 1951.

He worked with various firms in California and Washington 1951-58, and in 1958 established the Seattle-based firm Victor O. Gray, Structural Engineer. A partnership established 1961 with Daniel J. Evans -- Gray and Evans, Consulting Engineers -- produced designs for projects including the Seattle Viaduct before terminating in 1965 at the time of Dan's election to his first term as Governor of Washington. Victor O. Gray and Co. Consulting Engineers operated 1965-87 until Entranco Engineers purchased the company; Victor continued with Entranco as Associate Engineer until his semi-retirement in 1992.

Notable work over the course of 41 years in design and as owner/principal of firms employing up to 25 engineers and support staff includes 800+ projects located throughout the Northwest with a range of public and private clients. Of note: seismic strengthening of the State Capitol, the Insurance Building, and the Temple of Justice in Olympia -- all originally constructed in the 1920s; renovation of 17 buildings constructed in the early 1900s in Seattle's Pike Place Market, renovation of WWSU's Old Main building, and the New England Building in Seattle's Pioneer Square. In 1993 the American Institute of Steel Construction recognized his design of the Flaming Geyser Bridge (shown at left) with a national award. The firm designed several other bridges for the Washington DOT.

In 1992 Victor and his wife of 50 years Paula McPherson relocated to Port Townsend. There Victor led a $1M repaving program at Cape George Colony, and planned and developed 3 hangars at Jefferson County International Airport. In 2001 Victor and SEAW member Neil H. Twelker formed the Viaduct Preservation Group with the goal of saving the Seattle Viaduct, an effort ended by the State's 2012 demolition order (reference here).

With SEAW, Victor recalls assisting in 1961 with arrangements for a joint meeting of SEAW and AIA with T.Y. Lin as guest speaker. In 1965 he chaired an 8-week Earthquake Engineering Design seminar at the UW that attracted 125+ attendees. He maintained association with the Consulting Engineers Council, serving as national Vice President (ACEC 1973-74, CEC/US 1972-73); Consulting Engineers Council of Washington, State President; and the American Society of Civil Engineers among other professional associations. In community activities, Victor Gray served as President of the Downtown Seattle Association in 1973, as Board President of Seattle's Holy Names Academy, as a Director of the UW Applied Physics Lab, a member of Seattle Rotary, and as President of the Seattle Zoo Society. In 1981, Gonzaga recognized Victor Gray with its Distinguished Alumni Merit Award.