OMEGA CHAPTER CHAPTER NEWS
BY DARRELL L. TILLER
William H. Gray III left the world better than he found it [Rho, ‘62]
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oted Philadelphian, national lawmaker, religious and corporate leader, global citizen with an eye on the prize of freedom and liberty, and keeper of the trust in service to the least of these, the Rev. Brother William Herbert Gray III was the quintessential man of Alpha. It is ironic that he transitioned to Omega just a few months apart from Nelson Mandela. For it was Brother Gray’s efforts as a top leader in Congress who engineered U.S. sanctions that forced the South African government to free Mandela and end apartheid there. Born Aug. 20, 1941 in Baton Rouge, La., at the age of three Brother Gray moved with his parents to Florida where his father was president of Florida Normal and Industrial College, now Florida A&M University. By eight, Gray had come to Philadelphia when his father was appointed pastor of Bright Hope Baptist Church. After high school, Gray matriculated Franklin & Marshall College in Lancaster, Pa., and in 1963, earned bachelor’s degree in sociology. He continued his higher education at Drew Theological Seminary in Madison, N.J., where he earned a Master of Divinity Degree. He also earned a Master of Theology Degree from Princeton Theological Seminary in Princeton, N.J. He joined the ranks of Alpha men at the fraternity’s Rho Chapter on Feb 1, 1962, in Philadelphia. During the 1960s, Gray initially served as assistant pastor at Union Baptist Church in Montclair, N.J. He was later elevated to senior pastor there and installed by the Rev. Brother Martin Luther King Jr., a good friend of the family. In 1970, he joined the ranks of the teaching academy with a post as assistant professor at St. Peter’s College in Jersey City, N.J. As historical precedence and divine order would dictate, in 1972, Brother Gray succeeded his father as the senior minister at Bright Hope Baptist Church in North Philadelphia and served until 2008. His father, the Rev. William H. Gray Jr. had led the church 22 years, and his grandfather, the Rev. William H. Gray Sr., served from 1925, until his death in 1949. Politics came calling and America, and indeed the SUMMER 2014
world, would be better for Gray answering the call. From 1979 to 1991, Gray was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives, representing Pennsylvania’s 2nd congressional. His time on Capitol Hill marked historical firsts for the country and African Americans. He was the first African American to chair the House Budget Committee, and then became the first black House majority whip from 1989 to 1991, (the third highest-ranking post in the House). Along with Alpha brother and fellow Congressman Ron Dellums, from Oakland, Calif., he introduced House Resolution 1460 which became known as the Comprehensive Apartheid Act. With an overwhelming override of President Ronald Regan’s veto, the act put in place sanctions banning import of South African goods and materials and implemented U.S. banking restrictions on South Africa. Brother Gray’s congressional responsibilities did not deter him from pastoral care; he would return to Philadelphia on Sundays to preach at Bright Hope. After his time in Congress, Brother Gray became president and CEO of the United Negro College Fund. During his tenure, the organization raised more than $2.3 billion for historically black and college and universities. He was also tapped by President Bill Clinton to serve as a special adviser on Haiti. Noted for his astute business sense and commitment to corporate social responsibility, Brother Gray sat on several corporate boards. Brother Gray was also an avid tennis player and fan. He was on a trip enjoying the sport he loved, attending the Wimbledon tennis tournament, in England, with his son Andrew when he died. He was not ill, but entered Omega Chapter July 1, 2013, in London at age 71. Above all, he was a family man—loving husband to Andrea, guiding father to William IV, Andrew and Justin; devoted son to Hazel; and a wise grandfather. Darrell L Tiller [Rho, ‘88] is the president of Rho Chapter, Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity’s alumni chapter in Philadelphia. 43