| Summary: | This is a collection of articles about Gordon Gray (1849-1921). According to Florence historian Lee Freeman, "in 1900 Gordon Gray’s occupation was listed as brick- layer however according to the Florence Times of Friday, December 20, 1901 Gray was at that time working as the janitor of the Patton School, “having been in continuous service for ten years.” According to the Times in December of 1904 the students, “who were heartily interested to thus recognize the fidelity of the janitor,” had presented him with “a handsome Christmas present.” Gordon was one of 13 children (two of whom were living by 1900), of Dilsey Gray who was widowed by 1880. Gordon and his first wife Francis Hall had at least 7 children. Francis died before1900 and Gordon married Lulu Wood in April of 1901. Lulu seems to have died before 1906, around which time Gordon married a woman named Maggie Polk (1876-1916), who was 27 years younger than him. According to the 1910 census by 1910 Maggie had had four children, all of them deceased. Gordon Gray died January 11, 1921. After his death the Florence City Board of Education published a "Tribute to Gordon Gray," in which it stated, among other sentiments, that "Gordon Gray has set a high standard of polite, faithful and trustworthy service for all future school janitors of Florence if not for the whole state of Alabama. We do not believe that his record can be equalled [sic] in the state. He possessed a kindly spirit and a tender and sympathetic heart.""
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